In one year, Irene Ontiveros completed clinical rotations, turned in her final graduate school assignments and welcomed her daughter into the world.
With her graduation from the Joe C. Wen School of Nursing now behind her, Ontiveros is now preparing to serve another family – the underserved children of the northeast San Fernando Valley.
Ontiveros worked as a registered nurse for a full decade before deciding to return to school to pursue her pediatric nurse practitioner degree. She said she was inspired to continue her education after working at UCLA’s pediatric intensive care unit and experiencing a medical crisis at home.
The year before Ontiveros started at UCLA’s PNP program, her father suffered a stroke. While in the PICU, Ontiveros said she often treated children in crises related to trauma or critical care.
Being on the other side of the hospital bed with her father, though, allowed her to see the power of preventative care and collaboration, she said.
“I got to work alongside the health care providers in a way that I felt collaborated with his care, which was very empowering,” Ontiveros said.
Ontiveros said these experiences left her wanting to care for a larger population of students – a topic she felt the UCLA PNP program emphasized.
Transitioning back to being a student had many roadblocks coming from a first-generation, non-traditional background, Ontiveros said, adding that she had to navigate financial and systemic barriers alongside her four siblings who were also pursuing higher education.
At UCLA, she did not just embark on a journey as a student – she became a mother, giving birth to her daughter Aliyah halfway through her degree. Luckily, she said her peers and mentors helped her persevere – as she “brewed a Bruin” – through the challenges of balancing motherhood and her graduate studies, she added.
“Shortly after getting in, I found out that I was going to be a mom, so I reached out to my director,” Ontiveros said. “If it wasn’t for her support and her encouragement, if it wasn’t for my professors, I feel like I maybe wouldn’t have had the courage to move forward with the program.”
When Ontiveros told her husband, Don Nguyen, that she wanted to return to school, he said he was ecstatic and wanted to do everything he could to support her. He added that, as first-time parents, everything they faced was a learning curve, and he also took a few months off to support his daughter and Ontiveros.
Kristi Westphaln, an assistant professor at the School of Nursing who met Ontiveros as a student in her child development class, said Ontiveros came into her class with an eager and positive attitude.
“She was excited about the pregnancy and about the program,” Westphaln said. “She came into class, she was really excited about the transition from being a bedside nurse in the PICU to a pediatric nurse practitioner.”
Westphaln said she noticed that Ontiveros was always willing to help others and talk about her life experiences, she said. By doing this, Ontiveros created a comfortable and welcoming environment for many of her peers, Westphaln added.
“She’s not just there to do a job and learn how to become a nurse practitioner. She’s somebody who’s always thinking in this, ‘Oh, how can I make this better?’” Westphaln said. “Whenever this year when I’ve had first-year students that have been anxious or nervous about starting, she’s the person I send them to, because she has a way of breaking things down.”
Despite her positive demeanor, balancing school and being a mom was one of the toughest things Ontiveros said she has done.
“There were times where I felt like I doubted myself,” Ontiveros said. “As I was navigating these changes, they were pretty much advocating for me, so it was just a dream come true. I feel so grateful for them.”
Westphaln said the program is built to help support parents, adding that she personally aims to serve as a beacon of support for any of her students dealing with family circumstances.
“We also support bringing babies to class,” Westphaln said. “We’re pediatrics, we are a kid-friendly group, so we are absolutely on board with kids being part of it. Aliyah actually got to come on stage during graduation.”
Ontiveros said her peers and professors were her “biggest cheerleaders,” allowing her to take time off or to rest when needed. She added that when she gave birth a week before finals during her first year, her professors provided her with significant support.
Ontiveros was also focused on serving underserved children during her time in the program, Westphaln said.
“She’s a first-generation college student – she truly understands some of the challenges that are unique to some of our underserved populations,” Westphaln said. “I’m just so happy that she was able to get her dream job.”
Since becoming a parent, Nguyen said his wife’s passion for clinical care has only grown – especially for underserved communities. When it comes to her care in her new job, he added, Ontiveros is able to show a great deal of compassion and support in a unique manner.
“(These) families can relate to her background,” Nguyen said. “She’s understanding. She takes the time to listen, and (it) takes a lot of patience for those things,” he added.
Ontiveros said she chose to take a job as a PNP at the Northeast Valley Health Corporation – a community clinic working in an underserved area with a primarily Spanish-speaking population — due to her background as a Mexican-American.
Reflecting on her journey from her time as a registered nurse to becoming a PCP to the birth of her daughter, Ontiveros said she wants people to know that she carries her culture with pride as she goes from a top educational institution to a small hospital in a rural community. The American Hospital Association estimates that 80% of rural parts of the country – including where Ontiveros is working – are medically underserved.
“I hope when young girls who share my ethnic background see me in a white coat, I want them to know it’s possible,” Ontiveros said. “You can be a student, a mother and a force for change. You don’t have to choose. If anything, my daughter has only shaped my focus.”
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