Two alumnae enjoy new roles as nurse practitioners

Mariel Yapdiangco, Class of 2016, is a nurse practitioner for the Mercy Medical Group Geriatric Housecall Program.

Reputation, solid nurse practitioner preparation and interprofessional programs drove two alumnae to choose the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at UC Davis family nurse practitioner program. Sandra Calderon and Mariel Yapdiangco, both Class of 2016 alumnae, agree UC Davis fully prepared them for their roles today as nurse practitioners in the Sacramento region.

“I wanted a school that was highly regarded,” Calderon explained. “I wanted a nurse practitioner program with a reputation.”

Yapdiangco said that reputation also needed to include a track record for preparing nurse practitioners to pass the licensing exam. With UC Davis’ 100 percent pass rate, she knew she was ready when she sat for her exam.

“I remember taking some exam prep courses and seeing other students who were really anxious,” Yapdiangco said. “I felt really prepared for the exam and wasn’t worried that I was missing anything.”

At the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at UC Davis, nurse practitioner and physician assistant students learn together. The two programs include both a strong pathophysiological emphasis along with a focus on person- and family-centered care. Thus, students learn both to diagnose and treat conditions as well as how to listen and understand the patient and family needs.

“My education from UC Davis is unique because it was such a broad education, based on both medical and nursing models,” Yapdiangco said.

Sandra Calderon, Class of 2016, serves as a nurse practitioner in the emergency department at the Sacramento VA Medical Center.

Calderon serves as a nurse practitioner in the emergency department at the Sacramento VA Medical Center, where she also completed a clinical rotation during her second year as nurse practitioner student. Yapdiangco is a nurse practitioner for the Mercy Medical Group Geriatric Housecall Program. Both Calderon and Yapdiangco say they are especially pleased to work with populations that are typically underserved: veterans and those people with chronic and advanced illnesses. And both agree their UC Davis education was essential to where they are today. Yapdiangco cares for patients and their families in their homes following a discharge from a hospital, nursing home other inpatient setting as well as care provide ongoing care to patients to avoid admission into inpatient care.

“I feel UC Davis prepared me specifically for this position in home health care,” Yapdiangco said. “With its focus on teamwork and care in multiple settings, I was ready to move into this role working with a team, making house calls.”

In addition to the solid education, the two also agreed the people – faculty and classmates – further enriched their experiences.

“I was supported by the instructors and faculty throughout the duration of the program,” Calderon said. “There was such a diverse background of people, of interests.”

For Calderon, the experience was so fulfilling, she came back to the school as a clinical instructor for the entry-level master’s-degree nursing students.

“I wanted to be able to help make these new nursing students experiences a little less stressful,” she said.

She added that learning is a continuous process as a health care provider.

“I learn from these students myself,” she said. “As a provider, I also learn from the patients, too. I learn how to treat people everywhere better.”

Learn more about the family nurse practitioner program. »