JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Most of us grow up with our parent's notions of what they’d like us to become one day. Sometimes, it’s exactly what we want to do, but in other instances, it couldn’t be farther from what our heart desires. ICU Nurse Danielle Soriano said she falls somewhere in between.
Soriano said she never really wanted to be a nurse. She said nursing had always been her father’s dream for her. Soriano grew up in the Philippines and moved to the United States seven years ago.
Soriano said she believes she was ‘called’ by God to become a nurse. And insists it was faith that had a hand in her decision to pursue the profession. She said she knew the exact moment it happened, “it was when I was enrolled in a Filipino sign language class and my favorite professor, whom was hearing impaired, became terribly ill.”
She said he struggled being admitted into the hospital because none of the staff could understand him, so she spoke for him. Soriano said it hurt her heart to see the communication barrier and she wanted to break it down. During this time, an opportunity for a full-scholarship to nursing school became available. Soriano immediately applied with one hope in mind - she wanted to be the patient’s advocate for help.
Soriano said she calls on her faith and strong communication skills every day on the job. She is a warrior on the frontlines of the Coronavirus pandemic in Florida. Soriano works as an ICU nurse on the COVID-19 floor inside the Mayo Clinic.
