94 | HealthLinksSC.com In May, when Peace Roseau graduates from MUSC College of Nursing as a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner, she will continue her lifelong commitment to heal and serve others, especially youths who live in rural areas where access to mental health providers is limited and far from equitable. Roseau’s senior year became even brighter when she learned that she was an honored recipient of a $12,500 award from the Behavioral Health Workforce Education in Training: Children and Adolescents and Young Adults program. Roseau’s award is a small slice of a $1.2 million Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) grant to MUSC College of Nursing — a grant to increase innovative academic-practice partnerships to prepare psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner students to care for children, adolescents and young adults, according to Joy Lauerer, DNP, APRN, PMHCNS-BC, who co-wrote the grant with Hannah Robidoux, DNP, APRN, PMHNP-BC. “The money offers another level of comfort for me,” said Roseau, a Nigerian whose parents immigrated to the United States in the late 1980s. “As with any program, expenses are not cheap. I can finish strong now. I’ve used the money to offset the cost of tuition and books. I also got a new laptop, which has really helped with clinicals.” To date, 11 students, part time and full time, have received stipends from the HRSA grant, which MUSC College of Nursing received in September of 2023. The path that Roseau has taken to become a psychiatric mental health nurse has been filled with impressive experiences that offered what she describes as a “glimpse of everything.” She experienced health care from the perspective of nurses, technicians and providers. She interviewed patients and heard recovery stories, as well as triumphs over trauma. “It was, and still is, very humbling,” said Roseau. When she started school at MUSC College of Nursing, Roseau imagined following the footsteps of her mother, Esther Ajukwa, in general medicine. But one day, during a psychiatric clinical, Roseau experienced her “aha!” moment. It was a moment that tapped her heart and her sense of logic, she explained. “I remember shadowing a nurse practitioner who was with a patient,” Roseau said. “When the other nursing students and I huddled for discussion, the first thing I said was, ‘I want to be a psych nurse. This is what I want to do with my life.’” For four years she has worked on an acute inpatient youth psychiatric unit — a unit that specializes in child and adolescent psychiatry. She helps patients between the ages of 5 and 17, and she is trained in child and adolescent psycho pharmacology, psychotherapy techniques and de-escalation. For Roseau, one situation in particular solidified that she is exactly where she needs to be. “We had a child here for eight months who struggled to navigate some horrible situations. He was tough to care for, which was completely understandable given the uncertainties in his life,” Roseau explained. “We made strides, and then we would pull back as he made strides and then regressed. We were his family.” Eventually, Roseau and the health care team learned that the child would be moving in with a loving aunt and uncle. “He became so anxious about leaving us; his face was red for hours,” Roseau added. “But now we get positive updates regularly. He is ahead of his class academically, and his social skills did a 180. With the help of others, he used the tools that he learned here.” Roseau’s pride in her MUSC training, experiences and opportunities is immense. “Our professors and clinical instructors were all nurses at some point; they understand the importance of a holistic By Lisa Moody Breslin PEACE AND PLENTY HRSA GRANT FUELS STUDENT’S DREAM Peace Roseau Photo courtesy of Peace Roseau
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