Thea Smith, RN
Fall 2020

Thea had always wanted to be a nurse. When the opportunity came for her to do her residency in Texas, her husband and two children stood by her. The whole family relocated to Texas for her two-year residency, to be with her as she pursued her dreams. 

Her story began as a licensed vocational nurse, in 2006. And as anyone who’s met Thea knows, she believes strongly in learning and growth. She pushed herself through a registered nurse program finishing in two years, while raising her children. You can imagine the euphoria around her as she graduated and passed her boards.

Little did she know that real joy would find her working with MOVE! a program serving diabetes patients in the VA Health Care System. There they aimed to go beyond prevention and management but to reverse diabetes. Working with her patients, Thea successfully helped them lower their glucose and A1C levels, in what were everyday medical miracles.

A member of the American Nurses Association (ANA) or the Philippine Nursing Association of America (PNAA), when she isn’t reading articles and learning, she’s having fun and staying healthy. Zumba, tennis, long walks, and karaoke keep her positive and laughing. On weekends, you might find Thea with her family fishing for striper bass at the delta in the Burlingame Bayshore.

True to her love for nursing, Thea helps aspiring nurses-to-be by tutoring difficult subjects like med-surg, neuro, GI, and motility. At NurseRegistry, we know that with Thea’s knowledge and experience patients rely on her to handle all types of cases, going above and beyond to care for her long-term and short-notice patients. 

What advice does Thea give to new nurses?

Continue on growing as a nurse. Don’t be stagnant. Be proactive. Find out what you really want for your career and life, to be well-rounded and wholesome.” 

Nancy Aziz, LVN
Summer 2020

Nancy began her journey into a nursing career by searching for humanitarian work.

I was considering the peace corps but decided I could probably do more good as a nurse. I have been an LVN for 6 years and graduated from the RN program last year and now awaiting NCLEX.”

Working with NurseRegistry, Nancy loves “the flexibility and the different types of assignments that offer a variety of experiences.”

We asked Nancy what makes her smile while working—she shared that it’s “patients who have not lost their sense of humor.” Her least favorite part of her work is seeing patients suffering.

Not so surprisingly, Nancy’s favorite podcast is Medicins sans Frontières. 

We know Nancy would have done a lot of good in the peace corps, but we and her patients are glad she chose nursing.