Registered Nurse & Psychiatric NP student. Currently tutoring all content that is nursing and NCLEX related. Let's get confident, and build our nursing knowledge together!

Find out more about Antonia

• When did you develop an interest in your chosen field and in private tutoring?

  I had become interested in becoming a Registered Nurse during my position as a Medical Assistant at a primary care office. Before then, I had become interested in the medical field in high school. I have always been fascinated by human sciences and driven by the love of helping others. I became particularly interested in private tutoring during my time in nursing school. In my cohort of 30, I quickly became the go-to person to host study sessions, make PowerPoints, and go the extra mile. I loved feeling like I was helping my classmates understand the content, and it was more rewarding to see them at graduation. I knew at that time that my ability to help people through the nursing journey was something that I truly loved.

• Tell us more about the subject you teach, the topics you like to discuss with students (and possibly those you like a little less).

  I teach all subjects related to nursing school, and nursing in general (TEAS, NCLEX, etc). I love to help my students break down questions into their simplest form and ground their test taking skills. Content wise, I definitely thrive in pathophysiology and the understanding of complex disease processes. A topic that I still tutor but maybe enjoy a little less is foundations/fundamentals. I have at this point helped 3 of my students pass their NCLEX, 1 pass their TEAS, and 1 graduate nursing school.

• Did you have any role models; a teacher that inspired you?

  I would say that I am most inspired by my parents. I believe it is important in the nursing field to have a source of unrelenting support through the long nights and bad exams, and my parents were always that. Their ability to push me toward the finish line was inspiring, and I hope I can always be that person for my students.

• What do you think are the qualities required to be a good tutor?

  I believe that the qualities required to be a good tutor are patience, understanding, and empathy. I mention empathy because many times in nursing, we forget where we started. I truly empathize with my students as I remember those days so well. I remember the stress I felt and how far a little bit of help really went. We are all nursing students for forever in the ever changing field, and I love to help keep the passion lit at all times.

• Provide a valuable anecdote related to your subject or your days at school.

  One day during nursing school I was helping one of my classmates get our patient off the bedpan. We were turning her and because I am so short I had to lean over the bed a little bit, and my penlight had fallen into the full bed pan. For some reason, my natural instinct was to put my (gloved) hand into the stool and fish out the pen light. I brought it to the sink and started aggressively soaping it while my friend was yelling at me to just throw it away. Long story short - the pen broke from all of the liquids it had to endure, and it went into the trash just a few hours later. Me and my friend from that experience still laugh about that story today.

• What were the difficulties or challenges you faced or still facing in your subject?

  Nursing is hard and I continue to struggle with how heavy the workload can be. I do believe I thrive in time management, but sometimes have a hard time going with the flow when it rapidly switches directions. I am always working on being more adaptive, especially in those high stress situations where there may be a time crunch.

• Do you have a particular passion? Is it teaching in general or an element of the subject or something completely different?

  My particular passion in this field is nursing advocacy. I believe that in its simplest form, the nurse is the patients voice. My history of working on a Neurology unit instilled this belief in me even further. We must as nurses always stand by the patient and be their voice.

• What makes you a Superprof (besides answering this interview questions :-P)?

  I truly believe I am a Superprof because I am more than a tutor, but a fellow nurse. I am in tune with my roots and the journey that it took to get here, and I dream of being the mentor I wish I had during those days. Yes we will do practice questions, ground our skills, and go over our content, but we are going to have so many laughs while we do so. I will ensure that you have that flicker of hope at all times, and will be here for your nursing journey until the very end.