Our Nurse of the Week is Elsamar Ibarra who was a nursing student in Texas when Hurricane Harvey struck her hometown last year. Even while her own home had taken on water, Ibarra still couldn’t sit by while she watched people pouring into shelters on the news, so she jumped into action and rushed to the temporary shelter at the George R. Brown Convention Center to help.
Ibarra says she will never forget how the storm left thousands stranded and homeless, and almost 100 dead. Witnessing the aftermath of the hurricane led her to want to help as a nurse by helping bandage wounds, taking vital signs, and giving out medications.
Ibarra tells Click2Houston.com, “It’s my passion. I have something that I want to do, to be the best for the people, to help them when they need help, and I’m here to serve for them.”
Ibarra was later recognized by the Texas Nursing Association for her brave actions. One of her professors at the University of St. Thomas Peavy School of Nursing said she wasn’t surprised by Ibarra’s actions one bit, explaining that Ibarra has been a standout student and nurse since day one.
It’s very special to Ibarra to be able to make positive changes in other’s lives and follow in the footsteps of her mother who was a nurse in Mexico. Ibarra is no longer a nursing student, having since graduated with a nursing degree. Now, she’s following her passion to jump into action and help others like she did during Hurricane Harvey.
To learn more about Elsamar Ibarra and her heroic actions as a nursing student in Houston during Hurricane Harvey, visit here.
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