Serena Tavares discovered her love of nursing in high school.
Aside from her own hard work, Serena Tavares, RN, credits her success largely to her mom, who raised her and two sisters alone in an under-served Providence neighborhood, ensuring that they each had the education and opportunities they’d need. Her mom, who worked a second job in patient registration, guided 18-year-old Serena into the Lifespan Summer Youth Employment Program in 2014, and it was there that Serena found a love of nursing.
Tavares spent four years in the program, while attending nursing school, and upon graduating with an impressive GPA, she was hired immediately onto 4E, a med-surg floor at The Miriam Hospital, the same floor where she did her clinical rotations.
Within a year, Serena was elevated to charge nurse on her overnight shift, and says she loves that late night time with her patients, whether delivering a snack while administering medication, or offering encouraging words while wiping a patient’s tears at 3 a.m. She still stays in touch with her mentor from the Summer Youth Employment Program, and occasionally visits to encourage other youth to develop and pursue their goals, whether in health care or elsewhere.