An exclusive interview: The DNP creating space for community, advocacy, and education in nursing

I never wanted to be a nurse. I steered clear from nursing - my mother was a nurse. I went to Michigan State University with the intent of going to medical school, but things didn't work out. I took the MCAT about three times. So when things didn't work out with applying to med school I applied to become a physician’s assistant. I did get through their initial interview process, but I got rejected. I tried to apply again, and got rejected. I really wanted to stay in the medical field and build my repertoire and resume. So, I decided my plan was to apply again, and I applied to surgical tech school. There was some mixup in paperwork so I got rejected. My mother's friend was a nurse as well, and I wanted to get involved in something because I didn't want too much lay time, I wanted to jump into something. My mother's friend told me, “there's this licensed practical nurse program that starts in two months and the deadline is still open, so why don't you apply?” So I reluctantly applied and I got into LPN school, and it worked out well! I actually enjoyed it. Shortly after I got into LPN school, I applied to Adelphi University in Garden City, New York, and graduated top of the class. I worked as an ICU nurse after I got out of the Air Force and my career started to progress from there. I did not want to be a nurse - I swore up and down - and I love it. That's my passion.

Dr. Dwayne Alleyne had quite the journey into nursing, but always knew he wanted to be in healthcare. He’s spent almost two decades working as a nurse practitioner, and earned his doctorate of nursing from the University of South Carolina in 2020. He continues to serve as a nurse practitioner and hospitalist at PRISMA Health, and works as an assistant clinical professor at his alma mater, the University of South Carolina College of Nursing. He also co-founded the Capitol Nurse Practitioner Group, a Columbia, S.C. networking, education, and policy advocacy group, and serves on the advisory board of DNPs of Color.

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