Family Nurse Practitioner at Drs. Debroeck and Holleran Family Practice
Houston, Texas
Nursing major 2006
Nelson has been a family nurse practitioner at Drs. Debroeck and Holleran Family Practice in the Houston area for just over three years. She loves connecting with patients, listening to them, and encouraging them to make healthy changes. Nelson says it’s been a joy to walk with patients through tough diagnoses, a quickly changing health care system, and the ups and downs of life. She also trains both nurse and nurse practitioner students.
How does your time at SPU connect to the work you’re doing today?
It was at SPU that professors first challenged me to regard all work as a form of worship and to think about how my faith directly affects my work as a nurse. I learned to view interactions with my patients as an opportunity to show God’s love to each person. Every time I walk into a patient’s room, I have the opportunity to bring not only physical healing, but also to offer a deeper kind of healing. I can pray with my patients, cry with them, and offer a hug or a touch on the shoulder.
Who made a difference in your SPU education?
Professor Ruby Englund supported me throughout my tenure as an SPU nursing student in many ways, starting with mentoring me in my first year of nursing clinicals. I specifically remember how Ruby taught me the science of nursing, such as how to give an injection, and also encouraged me in the art of nursing.
What advice do you have for students about life after graduation?
Any advice I might give is best said by Frederick Buechner: “The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.”
