Leila Bethea was born and raised in Jersey City, and when it came to her higher education she opted to leave town. However, when it came time to work in her chosen career she made her way back home.
As we all know, there has not been an official nurse at UACHS since November, but Bethea is now here to fill the permanent position.
“ I came here because I saw this as a new opportunity to work in my hometown,” said Bethea.
She has traveled throughout New Jersey for the major she found interest in.
“I graduated from Bloomfield College and got my bachelors in science and accounting,” said Bethea. “ I got my teaching degree from Saint Peter’s University and I have my nursing degree from NJCU” .
She has teaching experience and has taught at a school nearby.
“I started out being a substitute at a public school. I taught at Saint Anthonys for 10 years before they shut down,” said Bethea. “I’m coming from a 2000-kid school, it’s going to take time to get to know the way things run here.
Bethea really aspires to be a registered nurse which is why she is still going to school.
“I always wanted to do nursing, but just in the medical field so I went back to NJCU to get my pediatric nurse degree,” said Bethea. “I want to be able to treat, diagnose and medicate.”
Not everyone chooses to be a nurse because of the hard work and time you have to put in. However, that only encouraged her to work towards her goal, especially with the inspiration of Dr. Coleman, her brother in law.
“Years ago, my mom was sick and I took care of her; it brought me joy to know that I helped her feel better,” said Bethea.
Bring in the medical field comes with many years of school, and Bethea was not sure if she wanted to do that at first.
“Growing up, I wanted to be a doctor until 12th grade. I decided I did not want to go to school for that long until my mom got ill, which was a turning point for me” said Bethea.“Being a nurse is challenging but rewarding in the end, Dr.Coleman, actually inspired me to get into the field and work with kids.”
During her time here, she wants to make everyone feel comfortable and be able to help others as she did with her mom.