Skip to content
  • Apply Now
  • Events
    • Graduate Admissions Events Calendar
    • Marxe Community Events Calendar
    • Faculty, Staff & Administration Calendar
  • Schedule a Visit
  • Ask a Question
Baruch college | Baruch College-logo

Austin W. Marxe School of Public and International Affairs

Menu

About
  • Spotlight on Marxe
  • Marxe Rankings
  • Faculty and Staff
    • Full-Time Faculty
    • Part-Time Faculty
    • Senior Administration and Staff
  • Centers and Institutes
    • Center for Nonprofit Strategy and Management (CNSM)
    • Baruch College Survey Research (BCSR)
    • CUNY Institute for Demographic Research (CIDR)
    • New York Federal Statistical Research Data Center (NYRDC)
    • Howard J. Samuels State and City Policy Center
  • Graduation Data
  • Assessment
  • Administrative Resources
  • Marxe Newsletters Archive
  • Contact Us
Academics
  • Master of Public Administration
    • MPA Curriculum
    • MPA Student Handbook
  • Executive MPA
    • Executive MPA Curriculum
  • Master of International Affairs
    • MIA Curriculum
    • MIA Student Handbook
  • Master of Science in Education in Higher Education Administration
    • MSEd Curriculum
  • The Bachelor of Science in Public Affairs (BSPA)
    • BSPA Curriculum
Admissions
  • Graduate Admissions Requirements and Process
  • Frequently Asked Questions
Student Opportunities
  • Career Services
  • Clubs and Organizations
  • Graduate Research Assistantships
  • Internships
  • Professional Development
  • Fellowships for Continuing Students
  • Scholarships and Fellowships for Incoming Students
  • Scholarships for Continuing Students
  • Study Abroad
  • The Washington Semester
Advisement
  • Graduate Advisement
  • Undergraduate Advisement
Global Initiatives
  • For Marxe Students
  • For Faculty
  • For Foreign Students
Alumni
  • Get Involved
  • Alumni Testimonials
  • Marxe School of Public and International Affairs
  • Marxe Community Spotlights
  • November 2019 Student Spotlight

November 2019 Student Spotlight

November Student Spotlight with Alma Bascon, Executive MPA ‘20

nov19studentspotlight

In this month’s student spotlight, hear from Executive MPA student and Associate Director of Nursing at NYC Health+Hospitals, Alma Bascon.


What drew you to the health care field? To nursing?
For some, becoming a nurse is a calling. I went to college in an effort to find my passion and calling; so in a way nursing found me in undergrad. My real commitment to the field and healthcare came in nursing school. Having professors and peers recognize my aptitude for the work provided me with that extra drive I needed to excel. I also have a background in social work, and in that field, the ability to communicate in laymen’s terms is a necessity. I was able to hone that skill, which has served to be the difference-maker in my career.

What does it mean to you to be a nurse serving New York City’s population?
There has been an increased emphasis on population health, which views the population as the patient. In this, the health outcomes of a group of individuals, including the distribution of such outcomes within the group is emphasized. As an Assistant Director of Nursing for the Care Management Department, one of my responsibilities is to look beyond the individual. I am tasked with helping find ways to educate families and groups in our diverse New York City population. I’m a strong believer in education and emphasizing staying healthy starts with primary care.

How do you think your Marxe Executive MPA will boost your nursing career?
Healthcare professionals can bring great value to population health management. As a nurse, the nursing model focuses on the assessment and management of all of the physical, biological, social, psychological, and environmental influences on health. Within the healthcare system, nurses serve as the primary contact with and advocate for patients, families, and communities. With an MPA, I think I can amplify my voice to serve our underserved population. I want to enact changes in dated policies and connect with our local politicians to improve our population’s health.

What are some of the biggest challenges you face with our health care system? How do you approach these challenges?
Resources, mainly staffing, is probably the biggest challenge. Nurses provide twenty-four hour care and are at the crux of any inpatient hospital. We may make up a large, if not the largest, proportion of personnel at any given hospital or health care facility; but even still, with extended patient stays and the complexity and challenges each patient has in their care, it’s difficult to stay engaged and not burnout. It’s important to have coworkers and a supervisor who look out for their department. It isn’t enough to know your caseload but staying abreast of other patients beyond your cases is also needed, and often expected should a nurse need a day or week off. With this profession, it’s important to practice self care, remain resilient, and maintain professional relationships with other disciplines since we are all one team. Also, today’s world, where you might be expected to go beyond your job description, you also have to stay up-to-date with new skills and think outside of the box to get the job done as a collective team.

Can you tell us of any experiences you’ve had helping patients or their family that was particularly memorable?
I worked in behavioral health during the early part of my career and there’s one patient I’ll never forget. This patient had a knack for being disruptive and attention-seeking at the same time every day, during visiting hours. It seemed odd at first that it happened at the same time, almost every day, but after observing this patient for a while, I realized they never had any visitors. Their acting out was essentially out of pain, because visiting hours was their reminder that no one was coming. The days they didn’t act out were days they was engrossed in a book. We didn’t have many books at the hospital so I brought some from home. Most of the time, patients need medical care but sometimes, they also need someone to be kind and help them escape from their illness or their personal troubles. That patient was particularly memorable because while they may have been difficult during their stay, on their last day of admission, they thanked me for bringing their passion for reading to light and for coordinating the effort to bring in more books. I was surprised that they knew it was me that did that, which only meant that they were watching me too. Sometimes we’re so busy, we never stop to think someone would be watching us, but our patients do and when we’re kind, they notice. That’s a lesson I try to remember every day.


Austin W. Marxe School of Public and International Affairs 135 East 22nd Street (Lexington Avenue and 22nd Street) (646) 660-6700
Facebook Twitter Youtube Instagram
  • Contact Us
  • About Our Site
  • Privacy
  • Site Map
  • Text Only
One Bernard Baruch Way (55 Lexington Ave. at 24th St) New York, NY 10010 646-312-1000
CUNY logo
CUNY logo