Dream Job: Kei Martin

I think initially I was inspired to become a nurse because I loved taking care of people but was also a thrill seeker. I became an ER nurse for several years to satiate that thrill-seeking mentality, when I was inspired by the nurse practitioners I worked with. I knew I could do more for my patients if I became one. 

Now that I’m an NP, I am inspired by the leadership I work with who are innovative and change makers. I love being a part of a medical model that shakes up what we currently know. 

Between working for a company that encourages innovation and pursuing my Doctor of Nursing Practice with the University of Mobile, I am inspired by the process of recognizing the need for change and learning the steps on HOW to make impactful changes in health care.

Q. Where has your career taken you since you graduated from the University of Mobile?

A. Since graduating from UM, I have worked in many states as a travel nurse (AL, TN, FL, CA) and made my way out to Washington state as a nurse practitioner. I have been able to assist with a home health pilot that my company now uses regularly, and am still a part of some ongoing clinical trials/pilots to improve clinical processes and outcomes for our patients. Earlier this year, I pursued a leadership opportunity with DispatchHealth as the Clinical Lead Advanced Practice Provider (APP) and was transferred to Orange County, California. By stepping into a leadership capacity, I felt led to pursue a doctorate to better serve in my current clinical lead role. I am currently enrolled in the Doctor of Nursing Practice program with UM. 

Q. What is a typical day like?

A. I work for a mobile medical company where our goal is to keep patients “Healthy at Home.” We are able to provide high acuity interventions and care to patients who otherwise would seek ER or urgent care services. My role is to ensure that quality and safe care is delivered by the providers in my market. I work closely with my company to deliver policies/procedures and ensure clinical competencies. 

My typical day is variable. Sometimes I am providing patient care in homes, and other times I am interviewing, hiring, training and chart auditing for the local clinical team, or participating in growth and marketing meetings. It’s exciting – and challenging! I love being able to provide high-level care and interventions to patients in their homes.

Q. What are some of the most important things you gained from your UM experience?

A. I would say that my University of Mobile experience has been and still is one of the most supportive learning environments. I think it is a beautiful and rare thing to enter a class where you know you’re prayed for by the instructors. The professors and staff at UM care about your success, and I think that has meant the most to me. 

I’ve always been a goal setter and, each step of the way, I’ve been encouraged and challenged to keep pursuing my goals, even through failure. When I didn’t get my “dream job” out of my undergraduate studies, I was given the advice that when a door closes on you, God opens a window. And what a wonderful window life has been! Now I think back fondly on not getting that job I pined over for months, because it would have never allowed me the opportunity to pursue things I never knew would become my “dream job!” 

Another piece of advice from UM that has been profound in my career is that not only is nursing a science, but it is also an art. You must know the science to be a nurse, but you also have to know the art of nursing to make an impact.

Q. What advice would you give to UM School of Nursing students?

A. Apart from the education, my favorite part of my experience at the University of Mobile is the friends I have made along the way. I met my lifelong friends in undergrad and in nursing school who I now consider my family. It has been the most fun doing life with the people whom I met through UM, even if we are all sprinkled in different states these days. 

The advice I would give to students at UM would be: Be yourself and you’ll find your people. We all have something to offer this world, and you make it better by educating yourself and pursuing your passions. If you let it, your time at the University of Mobile will help shape your worldview with a higher purpose.