Nurse Residency Program Graduates its 21st Cohort!
On October 2, 2025 in the San Luis Valley Health Conference & Education Center, the 21st cohort of the Nurse Residency program celebrated their graduation. Graduates Kaitlynn Chavez, RN and Love Genie Jean-Baptiste, RN were celebrated and were able to present their final projects to the staff gathered to celebrate them and this amazing accomplishment.
The Journey from LPN to Midwife
To start off the celebration, Shannon Gonzalez, CNM gave the keynote speech and reflected on her career in medicine. She spoke about how began by getting her LPN, and would attend RN classes in the mornings and work at clinics throughout the San Luis Valley in the afternoon. She began working in Labor and Delivery and fell in the love with the work there. "You get to help women at their worst, to see them at their best as a new momma. Not much can surpass that," she said of the field. She graduated in Adams State's very first BSN class, and decided to continue her education further, graduating from the University of Cincinnati with her Masters of Nursing with midwifery as her specialty. "Twelve years later I have delivered of 1,000 babies and absolutely love where my career as a nurse has taken me," she said looking back on her journey, "the most important things I have learned in my 24 years of being a nurse is to show empathy, be an advocate, stay strong, stay educated and never be afraid of your dreams."
Nurse Residents Making an Impact
Kaitlynn Chavez presented first, her project titled Improving Patient Experience: Baby Warmers in Delivery Rooms looked at the impact baby warmers had on patient satisfaction. She also presented her education project, a brochure that could be used to discuss Postpartum Depression with patients. Love Genie Jean Baptiste was next, her project, Nurse Practice Change: The Importance of Measuring Fundal Height, discussed the positive benefits that could be gained from measuring fundal height during pregnancy. She also presented her education project, a teaching tool for employees about fundal height. These projects are not only extremely valuable for Nurse Residents, but also can help identify opportunities for SLV Health to explore.
Encouraging the Pursuit of Education
SLV Health is thrilled to work with Nurse Residents and help to guide and educate them during this pivotal point in their careers. This program allows Nurse Residents to gain first-hand experience in the field that they are entering, and continue learning throughout the process from our instructors. The SLV instructors for this program are Kate Blount, MSN-Ed, RN, NPD-BC, Angela Hernandez, MSN-Ed, RN and Brittany Sours MSN-Ed, RN, CEN CPEN, NPD-BC. These awesome instructors help these Nurse Residents become the very best nurses they can be with their experience and expertise.