Narita Snead has wanted to work in a Community Health Center since she was treated at one as a patient – ironically at the same CHC, Capital Area Health Network, where she now works (although at a different site). “It was a terrific experience. I never felt stereotyped as a CHC patient.” From that encounter, she decided she wanted to give back to ensure others had the same positive experience.
From an early age, Narita aspired to be a physician. She always admired her pediatrician and his love for the medical profession. She had a terrific high school biology teacher, and discovered a knack for science. But a life experience left her disheartened with the patient/physician relationship. Watching a family member die of breast cancer, she became keenly aware of the different objectives of nursing and medicine. The nurses were more involved and compassionate – treating the patient holistically rather than focusing simply on “cure.” Narita realized she wanted to concentrate on preventative care, patient education and encouragement, and the overall patient/provider collaborative relationship. She set out to be an Adult Nurse Practitioner (ANP).
After completing her undergrad at Howard University, Narita went on to get her MPH from Eastern Virginia Medical School. Post graduation, she worked for two years as the HIV/AIDS Special Project Coordinator for the Virginia Department of Health, funded by a grant from the CDC. She then went back to school and completed her Nursing and Nurse Practitioner degrees simultaneously, via the VCU School of Nursing A2D program – all while working 12 hour weekend shifts and mothering a young family.
Once her young son was ready for kindergarten, she wanted to work traditional hours to be home with him more, and sought an environment where flexibility to meet her family’s needs was possible. That’s when the CHC calling kicked back in – she contacted the Virginia Community Healthcare Association. She was looking for a good work/personal life balance, which Capital Area Health Network has provided beyond her expectations. And she works only minutes from home.
Narita serves a very diverse patient population. She sees every type of adult – insured and uninsured, men and women, from all walks of life, with a wide spectrum of both acute and chronic health issues. Narita feels she’s getting a “great education and becoming a better provider because of” her work in a CHC. And it’s incredibly rewarding. “The patients are so appreciative. It’s very heartwarming.”
When asked what she would recommend to someone considering an opportunity to work in a CHC, Narita has a word of caution. “Don’t assume anything or take anyone’s word for it if they have not experienced a CHC firsthand.” She recommends talking with a provider, and ideally shadowing them to see what it’s like. “Live a day there, and experience the satisfaction and self-fulfillment.”
Regarding the pros and cons of work in a CHC, Narita observes she’s blessed to be able to make an impact on her patient’s lives, works with a great team of people, has great flexibility and balance in her life, all with the opportunity to pay off her student loans though the National Health Service Corps. “What’s not to like?” she quips. When asked to sum up her CHC experience, she had four words: “enlightening, invigorating, refreshing and humbling.”
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