Maxine Collins

UConn School of Nursing

I was born in Danbury, Connecticut, and raised in Naugatuck, a small suburban town, and Orange, a large suburban area, both in Connecticut. I am working towards my Bachelor’s in the Science of Nursing degree at the University of Connecticut.

I am currently a guest relations representative for a hospital and vaccine clinic. I spend the majority of my time at the vaccine clinic, and, because it is open to everyone in the state of Connecticut, I see people from a variety of communities and backgrounds. For two and a half years, I was a patient care volunteer at the Yale-New Haven Hospital. As a volunteer, I acted as a sitter for patients with fall risk, transferred patients, and assisted hospital staff with secretarial tasks. These experiences reinforced my interest in helping others; I would like to continue to have similarly rewarding experiences in my future career.

I sought involvement with the Urban Service Track/AHEC Scholars (UST/AS) Program because I think it will help me to understand different populations’ points of view on and experiences of healthcare. The empathy I gain will improve my cultural sensitivity and capacity to evaluate and address the concerns of my patients, enabling me to make a greater difference as a nurse.  This greater social awareness will allow me to better assess physical health, itself in part a product of our milieus.