“Growing up in low-income housing, under the veil of poverty, I have a unique perspective of the plight of those who are less fortunate and it allows me to understand their predicament and the unique barriers they must overcome,” says Monique Prince, who graduates this week from UCF with a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree.

When Prince was 8, she contracted a serious illness from a tick bite and received care at a free clinic. “While I do not remember much about the visit, I do remember the provider,” she says.

Prince says the provider took time to explain to her mother what to do to manage her symptoms and when to go to a hospital. He even stayed late to give Prince a liter of fluid before they left. “He was the epitome of servant provider, and I just hope that one day, I can be an inspiration to someone like that.”

As a first-generation college graduate who is the oldest of five siblings and mom to a six-year-old son, Prince is already an inspiration to many.

“Obtaining a terminal degree demonstrates the highest level of educational attainment and reflects a dedication to lifelong learning which are traits that I wish to pass on to my siblings and my son,” Prince says.

Increasing Screenings to Save Lives

With the knowledge gained in UCF’s family nurse practitioner program, Prince plans to promote better patient outcomes especially in vulnerable populations. She is already making a positive impact with her doctoral scholarly project, which she plans to continue.

Prince deployed a quality improvement project to increase colon cancer screening rates in a primary care office. Colon cancer is the second leading cause of death in the U.S. Since it can often go undetected, screenings are critical and most deaths can be prevented with regular screenings.

“Colon cancer affects African Americans and Hispanics at a higher prevalence than other ethnicities,” Prince says. “Being of both decent, I felt a responsibility to look for solutions to increase screening rates by spreading awareness about alternative methods of screening.”

For the project, Prince sought to improve screening rates at a local clinic by increasing the utilization of a blood-based screening for eligible patients.

“The best colon cancer screening is the one that the patient actually completes,” she says.

For patients who declined tradition colon cancer screening, the clinic offered the blood-based testing as an alternative. The blood test option was completed when patients needed other bloodwork, and therefore, no extra needlestick was involved. The results: 100% of eligible patients accepted the alternative screening resulting in more patients getting screened overall.

“This project was successful and it improved care of patients at the rural practice where Monique works,” says Jean Davis, nursing assistant professor. “It has the potential to be replicated to improve patient care at other practices.”

Finding a Calling in Nursing

Nursing wasn’t the initial career plan for Prince. She initially wanted to be lawyer.

After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in anthropology from Vanderbilt, she worked as a paralegal for several years in every facet of law.

“But I could not find any aspect that interested me,” she says.

Her mother, who is a nurse, helped her find her calling.

“I went to drop something off for her at work one day, which I definitely think was a set up, and she talked me into shadowing her for a few hours,” Prince says.

It worked.

“I saw the impact that she had on patients and the relationships she built,” Prince says. “When I left there, I knew that I wanted to make a difference just like her.”

She began her nursing career at age 25 as a home health aide with an agency that offered free training. Since then, she has advanced her education and career — becoming a certified nursing assistant, a licensed practical nurse, a registered nurse, earning a bachelor’s degree in nursing and then master’s degree in nursing, and now her doctoral degree from UCF.

Inspiring Future Generations

In addition to working as a family nurse practitioner and continuing her research, she hopes to become a future educator at UCF.

Prince received funding through the Nurse Faculty PIPELINE program, which seeks to address the national nursing faculty shortage by supporting students who seek to become future educators.

She also was one of 140 UCF College of Nursing students who were awarded scholarships this past fall. Prince received the Clinician Life Scholarship in Support of Hispanic Nurse Practitioners, which was established by alumna Veronica Sampayo ’13.

“Receiving the scholarship allowed me to spend more time with my son as it offset the cost of my tuition and therefore, I did not have to pick up as many work shifts,” Prince says.

Receiving the scholarship was another “full circle moment” for Prince who has been in the same professional circles as Sampayo, but had not met her in person until UCF’s College of Nursing scholarship dinner. The annual event recognizes scholarship recipients and provides an opportunity for recipients to meet and thank their donors.

“Speaking to her one on one at the scholarship dinner was the most amazing experience and I count her now as one of my mentors,” Prince says.

The future is bright for Prince and for the lives of those she will impact as a provider, researcher and educator.

“I have truly enjoyed my time at UCF and look forward to mentoring the next generation of Knight nurses,” she says.