Jasmine Slater Small, BSN, RN
Jasmine Slater Small, BSN, RN
Head Nurse
NYC Health + Hospitals/Gouverneur
12 years of service
“My approach to patients has always been to provide the best care possible.”
Caring for older adults with COVID-19 at NYC Health + Hospitals/Gouverneur, Jasmine Slater Small provided care with compassion and respect.
“I can recall facing my first COVID-19 patient. I stood at the doorway and I could tell by looking at her that she was dying. I put on my mask, started an IV, and made sure she was comfortable. I couldn’t just stand by and watch. I felt that if she was going to pass away, it was going to be respectful and peaceful.”
“I am caring and hardworking and I’m always thinking, ‘What can I do to make things better or easier,’ to see my patients recover and go back home to their families and communities,” she says.
Growing up in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, she considered careers in accounting and law enforcement. But ultimately, she was inspired to become a nurse by her mother who worked as a housekeeper in the local hospital.
“It was mom’s dream to be a nurse; she never had the opportunity, so that was my push,” she recalls.
Nursing is driven by compassion, and Slater Small says she embraces this approach. “Compassion comes from within and it inspires you to be loving and kind,” she explains.
Slater Small is actively pursuing opportunities for professional development including certification in Wound, Ostomy and Continence (WOC) nursing. Her future goal is to be a Family Nurse Practitioner.