Veronica Barnes ’17 and ’20 chose to attend Shenandoah because of the great experiences her colleague had while attending SU. Barnes graduated from the Eleanor Wade Custer School of Nursing with a post master’s certificate for psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner and a doctor of nursing practice. Some of her fondest memories include attending in person lectures as well as the hands-on experiences she had while on the Winchester campus.
“One of things I love about Shenandoah is the beautiful campus,” Barnes said.
Barnes is a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner in the outpatient clinic at the Hampton Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center in Hampton, Virginia. In this role, she serves veterans who are not established as a provider. Barnes bridges the gap until they are seen for the first time at the facility.
Her most rewarding experience is helping bridge the gap for veterans until they are seen for the first time at the facility.
“The joy of assisting veterans everyday who are unsure where to start,” said Barnes. “I’m often their first contact and I make sure I assist in every way I can at that initial visit. Seeing them leave my office confident on their next steps is the highlight of my day.”
In addition, Barnes works in the community as a psychiatric mental health provider and owns her own aesthetic business.
Barnes boasts the class sizes and instructors provided a quality education in a variety of learning styles. She believes the educational experiences she had made her the healthcare provider she is today.
Her advice to current and future students is: “Being a mental health provider is one of the professions that you can see improvement in those you care for fairly quickly.”