University of Miami professor using own experiences to help mentor next generation of nurses
For Dr. LaToya Lewis, the future of healthcare starts in the classroom.
The University of Miami professor is mentoring the next generation of nurses, teaching them to lead with skill, cultural understanding, and compassion.
For Lewis, teaching nursing is about more than textbooks and clinical skills. She wants her students ready for the people they'll serve, especially in South Florida's diverse communities. In the nursing community, she's known as the Soul of Medicine.
"I actually use that name because I want to focus on the humanized aspect of care," she said. "So as a nurse and a professor, I focus on preparing the next generation of individuals to interact with patients, families, caregivers, and really that's the essence and the soul of what we do."
Born in South Trinidad and moving to the U.S. at 6 years old, Lewis now uses her own experiences to help shape what nursing can become.
"I want the students to be prepared for real life," Lewis said. "I have students who come from different countries, I have students who are multiethnic, multiracial, multilingual, so we need to respect where our students are, and our students respect the population of the hospital."
It's a lesson her students say goes beyond the classroom. Family nurse practitioner student Sophia De Caster says Lewis guides them but also gives them room to grow.
"It's like a training wheel," she said. "She has you on your training wheel, and she's going to help push you until you're ready to help take them off."
"I want to bridge their reason for coming into nursing, and also where nursing is now and where we should take nursing for the future," Lewis said.
Through every student she mentors, Lewis is helping shape the future of nursing. Lewis is also a nationally recognized nurse scientist and healthcare equity advocate.
Her work extends beyond the classroom, focusing on compassionate care and supporting patients and families throughout South Florida.