Decker College graduate takes unique path to nurse practitioner
Olivia Medeiros, MS ’25, studied business administration and hotel management as an undergraduate, but found she loved caring for people
Olivia Medeiros is a trilingual Brazilian native who came to ˿Ƶ University to pursue her dream of working in family or internal medicine. Decker College of Nursing and Health Sciences recognized her determination and accepted her into the graduate nursing program. In May, she will graduate with a Master of Science in Nursing degree as a family nurse practitioner.
After earning bachelor’s degrees in business administration and hotel management and tourism in Brazil in 2005, Medeiros arrived in New York in early 2006 and began working as an au pair for a family with three children. During her time with the host family, she discovered her interest in providing healthcare to others.
“One of the children had Type 1 diabetes mellitus. This was my first time caring for a child with diabetes, and I learned a lot,” Medeiros said. “That’s when I started researching about nursing opportunities and education.”
Nursing school is challenging on its own, but for an international student, those challenges multiply tenfold. “Having to speak a foreign language, even having learned it in school, is a different and demanding task,” she said.
Another challenge arose when Medeiros applied to SUNY Westchester Community College (WCC) for an associate degree in nursing (ADN).
“I had to apply as an international student and was not able to work to pay for my education,” she said.
Fortunately, Medeiros’ host family provided financial support. She also volunteered at a nursing home in Connecticut, which helped her receive a scholarship.
Medeiros soon faced another obstacle from an unexpected source — her international student advisor at WCC, who tried to dissuade her from applying to the ADN program.
“He told me how hard it was to pass the nursing entrance exam,” she said.
However, Medeiros refused to let that deter her. She studied and passed on her first attempt, starting the program in 2007. After earning her associate degree, she took a break before returning to the classroom to earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) in 2019.
“At that time, I was working full-time at White Plains Hospital,” she said. “The hospital administrators had just given the associate degree nurses a deadline to complete their bachelor’s degrees by 2020 because they were a magnet hospital. I completed the classes for the BSN at the College of New Rochelle, working and studying simultaneously.”
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Medeiros became interested in pursuing a master’s degree in nursing. She searched for a program and potential travel nursing opportunities, eventually finding work in the travel emergency department in Plattsburgh, N.Y. There, she decided to return to school to pursue a degree as a family nurse practitioner (FNP) and applied to Decker College.
“Being an FNP is something I’ve thought of since I first graduated from the ADN program,” she said.
Accepted into Decker College’s Master of Science in Nursing program (Decker now offers nurse practitioner programs only at the Doctor of Nursing Practice [DNP] level), Medeiros encountered difficulties as a student.
“Although there were challenges, I had help with them. The University offers amazing scholarship opportunities, like the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) grant for nurse practitioners who intend to work and live in areas of primary care shortage, which I do,” she said.
Medeiros also struggled with exam-related anxiety and academic burnout.
“I was able to get assistance for my anxiety through the Services for Students with Disability Office,” she said. “˿Ƶ provided a lecture series with Dr. Bernadette Melnyk where she spoke about battling burnout and promoting resilience in nurses and the healthcare workforce. These opportunities were incredibly useful to me.”
Although she’s a full-time student, Medeiros still works on a per diem basis at St. John’s Riverside Hospital in Yonkers, N.Y.
“My managers at the hospital are very supportive with my schedule and don’t pressure me to pick up shifts while I’m studying,” she said.
After graduation, Medeiros is considering working in a family medicine or internal medicine group or perhaps returning to the emergency department. While she may remain in Broome, Tioga or Steuben County, she is also considering applying for a nurse practitioner residency program in internal or emergency medicine at Northwell Health or Weill Cornell Medical Center downstate.