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Dorothea Clute |
On May 5, she graduated from UNMC a master of science in nursing degree. She will be a designated advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) with certification as a family nurse practitioner (FNP).
The only thing she has left to do to reach her dream of opening a health care clinic in north Omaha is to take state boards.
“It’s a good feeling to know I made it this far,” Clute said, a few days before graduation.
Both Clute and her husband, Daniel Clute, M.D., a family medicine practitioner, are committed to help reduce the health disparities that exist in their community, she said.
“North Omaha has the highest rates of diabetes, obesity, high cholesterol and high blood pressure, this is where the need is and this is where we want to practice,” Clute said.
Clute’s interest in health care began as a fifth-grader at Druid Hill Elementary School where she began a pen pal relationship with senior citizen named Catherine Wyatt as part of a class assignment.
“In the time we were friends, Mrs. Catherine Wyatt broke both of her hips. The second time she was placed in a nursing home,” Clute said. “I would visit her regularly there and saw how much health care is needed to provide for the elderly. I was very impressed by the nurses and ever since then I knew I wanted to be a nurse.”
When Clute was 16 years old, she took a job as a dietary aide at Florence Nursing Home and Royale Oaks Assisted Living. She also worked as a bath aide, certified nursing assistant and nurse technician at Immanuel Medical Center.
Clute spent a lot of time shadowing other health care professionals such as physical therapists and occupational therapists before deciding that she wanted to be a registered nurse as well as a nurse practitioner.
“I knew that becoming a nurse practitioner would allow me to take care of every age group, from infants to the elderly,” Clute said. “This also allows me to give back to a community that has supported me for so long.”