Sonja Hampshire, MSN, RN, PMHNP-BC, CARN-AP
I am very grateful for my career in nursing. Many patients have touched my heart. I am honored to be able to care for patients during their most vulnerable moments.
The nursing profession continues to earn a growing respect from both colleagues and patients.In addition, nursing offers a wide range of opportunity in very diverse roles. Individualized "whole" patient care is finally arriving!
Psychiatry is a unique field requiring empathy, compassion and in-depth understanding of the disease processes. There is a stigma in mental health I have made a personal vow against. The emerging science dismisses the folk lore that mental illness is a disease of the spirit, or some sort of weakmindedness...
Caring for those with mental illness requires continued education as research of neurochemistry, brain anatomy, genes, and psychopharmaceuticals continues to move forward.
I am committed to caring for patients with an open mind and absence of judgement. As providers, we do not know what a patient has suffered nor where the future may lead.
Background: I earned my BSN in 2009 at UT-Tyler. We had a focus on Holistic care in our curriculum and I realized my interest in caring for the "whole" person- body, mind, and spirit. I have an interest in alternative medicine including nutritional, psychological and spiritual interventions for optimal health. Many other cultures heavily incorporate these into their care. I initially began my graduate studies at UT Tyler in 2012, and subsequently transferred to UT Arlington to begin my PMHNP (Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner). Upon graduation with a MSN in August 2017, I earned my Board Certification from the ANCC on September 16, 2017.