Heading off to her freshman year of college at Michigan State University, Aisha Ealey, DNP, APRN, felt certain about her future. She wanted to become a physician, work in healthcare, and help and educate people.
鈥淭hings didn鈥檛 work out,鈥 Ealey says. 鈥淚 changed my major, and I had no idea what to do after that. I graduated with an interdisciplinary degree in health studies and felt really unsettled in my work.鈥
Though things didn鈥檛 go exactly as planned, Ealey never lost sight of what mattered most to her. She went back to school for her bachelor鈥檚 in nursing at Oakland University, and a few years later, she landed in California as a travel nurse.
She spent 20 years working in a neonatal intensive care unit before making the decision to earn her .
鈥淚 kept talking myself out of it, like, 鈥業鈥檓 not going to get accepted,鈥欌 she says. 鈥淏ut I did. I started in 2020 during COVID, and it鈥檚 the best thing that has ever happened. I鈥檝e had the best career, and I ask myself, 鈥榃hy didn鈥檛 I do it sooner?鈥欌
Ealey was looking for a鈥痯rogram completely鈥痳emote.鈥疊ut鈥痶hroughout her time at Rush, she never felt like a distant student 鈥 her advisor and professors were always available when she needed them.鈥 checked all her boxes and gave her the confidence she needed to finish what she started.
鈥淚 left fired up and ready to conquer the world,鈥 she says. 鈥淣ot only did I gain the academic knowledge, but I felt well prepared to enter a room with all levels of leadership and advocate for patients.鈥
Ealey now works in Southern California at Loma Lunda University Children鈥檚 Hospital as a full-time neonatal clinical nurse specialist. But when she graduated from Rush in 2024, she wanted to use her skills as a Clinical Nurse Specialist in an unconventional way 鈥 somewhere and somehow outside of the hospital walls. So, she took her hard work and passion continents away to Africa.
Building a sustainable future
Ealey partners with different organizations that do medical and humanitarian missions in countries like Tanzania, Zimbabwe and South Africa. She volunteers to educate women and provide care for them and their babies in these communities.
鈥淚 teach moms about choking 鈥 the signs, symptoms and what to look for,鈥 she says. 鈥淚鈥檝e also taught hand hygiene and oral care.鈥
Ealey went back in June to help organize a two-day clinic. She and other volunteers provided health screenings and medications to more than 500 people in need. While educating and working to improve the quality of life for these families, Ealey was also given the opportunity to see the progress of the hospital facility being built and ensure it was set up for laboring moms and babies.
鈥淚 am able to educate and share my experiences on the basics of neonatal health on topics such as neonatal resuscitation and share the importance of thermoregulation with the use of blankets and other items they can use to help warm, dry and stimulate baby,鈥 she says.
Once volunteers like Ealey leave these communities, the people there are left with whatever they have. So, she works to implement sustainable solutions by leveraging resources that are already available and optimizing their impact.
鈥淭hey truly try to do what they can without all the equipment,鈥 she says. 鈥淎nd it鈥檚 working for them. People aren鈥檛 dying because they don鈥檛 have all these resources 鈥 they're thriving.鈥
This work has been eye opening to Ealey, she takes what she learns and reflects on the healthcare system in the United States.
鈥淲hen you go to these places, you become a lot more appreciative of the things we do have,鈥 she says. 鈥淚t makes me think, 鈥楬ow can we help them?鈥 but also, 鈥楬ow can we do some of what they鈥檙e doing?鈥欌
From the very beginning, Ealey wanted to take care of people. The route she took to get there was unexpected, but she landed exactly where she was meant to be.
鈥淧eople need help, and it shouldn't just be the babies or families in our communities,鈥 she says. 鈥淓veryone deserves the chance at the best care possible, and I am so proud to be part of that.鈥
