Verne Corey Baptiste, LPN
Verne Corey Baptiste, LPN
Staff Nurse
NYC Health + Hospitals/Correctional Health Services
4 years of service
“I believe in listening to my patients and addressing their issues as best as I can.”
Baptiste is a staff nurse on Rikers Island in the Otis Bantum Correctional Center on the evening tour. He administers medications and delivers wound and diabetic care for Correctional Health patients.
Nursing has been a passion for Verne Corey Baptiste since he was a junior in a Maryland high school, when he volunteered at a local hospital.
“I come from a background of medical doctors and nurses, and it just felt like the right thing for me,” he says, noting that he started out as a certified nursing assistant, handling EKG and Phlebotomy duties. He worked in drug rehabilitation, homeless shelters and in a hospital setting before moving into the correctional health field.
Baptiste earned his licensed practical nurse certification in 2012 and graduated with his Associate’s degree in 2018. “I was eager to advance myself,” he comments, adding, “I aspire to become a psychiatric nurse practitioner, using my position to help meet the growing mental health needs of the community.”
Born in Trinidad, Baptiste came to the U.S. as an eight-year-old child, and says he has learned to be flexible and creative in meeting both personal and professional challenges.
“My ability to adapt to any situation is what sets me apart,” he points out. “I believe I take a head-on approach with my patients. Families and patients alike can always attest to the fact that I always do my best within my scope of practice to ensure they receive quality care.”
As a staff nurse in NYC Health + Hospitals/Correctional Health Services, Baptiste works with a wide variety of patients, including disadvantaged and incarcerated individuals.
“Some of my best moments in my career would be making sure a patient is being treated with dignity and respect and seeing their progress,” he continues. “This lets me know that I am doing my job correctly.”