Texas native Irma Velasco moved to California to advance her nursing career and fill a gap in the mental health workforce.

After working three years as a family nurse practitioner in Austin, Texas, she headed west. She knew no one in California but knew exactly where she wanted to focus her nursing practice. She became a student in the UC Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) Certificate Program last July.

The one-year collaborative program combines online instruction with in-person clinical rotations. Students are located throughout the state and taught by faculty from the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at UC Davis, as well as nursing schools at UCLA, UC Irvine and UCSF. Velasco, 30, who lives in Hollywood, only interacted with students in the program through her computer screen.

Until this past January 8 when everything changed.

Evacuate, but to where?

“We were in our weekly Zoom session and I get a phone call from my neighbor,” Velasco recalled. “He says, ‘Runyon Canyon is on fire, we need to evacuate.’”

Velasco heard helicopters overhead. She looked out from the sixth-floor balcony of her apartment and saw flames in the distance. But she had no clue where to seek refuge if the time came to leave her home.

She rejoined the class online and told them what was happening.

A nursing professor on screen grew increasingly concerned for Velasco’s safety.

“It’s time to go! Get up and make a go bag,” commanded Stacey Green, a UCLA nursing professor who teaches in the multicampus program.

Velasco grabbed items recommended by her classmates, while still not knowing where to evacuate to. Then she got a text that determined her fate. It read: “You can come to my house. I’ve set up a mattress and ordered pizza.”

Classmate Erika Jenkins opened her home 20-minutes away in Burbank. In doing so, Jenkins demonstrated a real-life lesson about the kind of compassion advanced practice nurses need to become mental health experts.

Suddenly, it seemed, Velasco and everyone around her were at the center of the nation’s attention.

“I’m from McAllen, Texas, and things don’t really happen there,” Velasco joked. “I only see this kind of stuff on TV and now I’m living it.”

Beyond the video camera

The students are pursuing a UC PMHNP postgraduate certificate that prepares graduates to become board-certified in providing psychiatric and mental health care, of which there is a huge demand.

When she first enrolled in the program, Jenkins acknowledged the challenges of building community, since the curriculum is mostly with online coursework and some Zoom classes.

But the deeper into the program, the more her expectations transformed. ” “Professor Green really helped to foster connection with our class from the get-go,” Jenkins said. “Irma is new to California, and this situation was the perfect opportunity to foster community.”

Velasco was touched by her caring classmates. “Alone in a new city not knowing anyone, I felt supported because I had a network that I could reach out to even if it was through a video camera.”

Self-care to better care for others

What Velasco, Jenkins, Green and others experienced during the wildfire says a lot about the type of students and professors in the 12-month hybrid program, which combines online education with regional clinical training across California.

Because it’s mostly an online class, Green creates opportunities to foster connections among her students. She says that creating space to support each other is critical for their careers and long-term success.

“This program is very demanding. We need to be mentally well and have the reserves to help others to be well,” Green said. “It's like the flight attendant says on the plane about the sudden loss of cabin pressure during safety instructions: ‘Be sure to put on your own mask before assisting others.’"

Faculty point to the program’s competency-based curricular model, which includes the core component of self-reflective practice. Through this practice, students develop more awareness of their reactions and interactions with their clients, helping them become a better and more effective provider.

“Working as a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner is more emotionally and mentally taxing than working in medical environments, given that our role is to create space for the trauma and emotions of those who are struggling with limited resources,” explained program director Lynda Creighton-Wong. “This can lead to compassion fatigue and burnout if providers do not focus on their own wellbeing and self-care.”

Personal experience shapes professional outlook

The sense of community Velasco experienced affirmed her decision to move to California for the UC program. It also taught her about the potential obstacles her future patients might face.

“I want to make people feel taken care of the way I felt taken care of and supported that night. It showed me how important resources are for people, not just last minute, but preparing patients with the resources they need before a real emergency arises,” Velasco said.

“I have so much more respect and love for my program, classmates, faculty and school. I’m so grateful to be part of the UC Davis PMHNP program.”