Like his father, uncle, and grandfather before him, nursing graduate Sebastian Baker ‘13, FNP ‘17, always knew he wanted to be a part of the healthcare community. Still, Baker has returned to Le Moyne with the goal to take his dreams—and his nursing degree—to the next level. Last May, Baker’s dreams came to fruition when he graduated as a part of the inaugural class in the Family Nurse Practitioner Program (FNP).
Now a fellow in the Health Services School at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, Baker is spending 18 months in an E.R. residency program, and maintains that his Nursing and FNP Degree both were crucial stepping stones in landing this opportunity. In addition to helping him stand out among other applicants, Baker mentions that his combined degrees made him feel like a more versatile candidate, and more prepared to go out and deliver quality healthcare.
Baker attributes this versatility to the fact that Family Nurse Practitioners are able to gain experiences in a vast array of healthcare environments, and become that much more informed. To top it all off, he mentions the growing demand in the healthcare industry makes Family Nurse Practitioners ideal candidates to fill the gaps made by this new demand.
Baker will complete his fellowship at the Mayo Clinic in March 2018, and from there, wants to go anywhere he knows he’ll make a difference. His family legacy, degrees, and hands-on experiences, while crucial to his success, is just as essential as knowing, Baker says, when “you have to be willing to admit that you don’t know everything to grow.”
Article by Kaelin E. Foody ‘18. Kaelin is interning in the Office of Communications this semester.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Mayo Clinic.