Chinieta Glover, BSN, RN, PEL-CSN

There are so many instances and situations that I can share when Nurse Chinieta Glover has provided compassionate, consistent, and wonderful care to students, families, staff, and even me (I cut my finger pretty badly, and she fixed me right up). Nurse Glover is passionate about her practice and profession, and you can see that in her delivery of services. She is kind, an exceptionally active listener, and a great communicator, which makes both students, families, and staff feel comfortable when working with her. We are a large urban high school, and we keep her busy and really can test someone's patience. Regardless, Nurse Glover is always calm, kind, and professional.

I am a high school counselor, and every day I am supporting students with sensitive personal situations. Every time I have reached out to Nurse Glover for support, had questions, or referred students, she has been there. She goes above and beyond her duties and has inspired so many students to enter the profession. I will highlight two incidents among many.

There was this Latino male student on my caseload who had expressed interest in becoming a nurse after a brief hospital stay. I suggested he talk to Nurse Glover, and she welcomed him. A few weeks later, when I checked in on him, he was excited to share with me that after talking to Nurse Glover, he felt that he could actually do it and be a nurse. He said that she also gave him resources and talked about her journey to becoming a nurse. What he appreciated the most was that she did not discourage him from becoming a nurse as a young man. That young man had told me that when he often shared his interest in nursing others would question it so it made it hard for him to get real information.

I had another situation where a student disclosed to me that they were having trouble sleeping; they were struggling with bullying and feeling disconnected at the school. I asked the student if they wanted to go down and meet our nurse to see what she could suggest that would help. I walked the student down, and of course Ms. Glover, with her warm, welcoming smile, welcomed us in, and she and I left them so they could speak privately.

A few days later, I was following up with the student, and she thanked me for introducing her to Nurse Glover. She said she was going to try some of her suggestions, then burst out crying. The student said that she had been feeling so alone and hopeless. Through her tears, she shared that after speaking with Nurse Glover, she felt that we actually did care about her. She said that after talking to Nurse Glover, she felt she finally had the courage to disclose what had been going on outside of school, and she wanted to let me know about her struggles with not having a stable place to stay. From there, I was able to connect the student with much-needed resources and a safe place to stay. I am happy to say that the student has completed her first semester of college.