Finding Purpose While Healing: Meet Brianna Schmidt FNP ’26
When she was 18 years old, Brianna Schmidt FNP ’26 was involved in an accident that left her hospitalized for four months. It was serious enough that Schmidt had to learn to walk again. She credits her recovery to the outstanding team that cared for her, including her nurses, whom she calls her 鈥済uardian angels.鈥� She grew close to them, and they inspired Schmidt to enter the healthcare field. Today she hopes to serve her community 鈥� particularly underserved populations 鈥� at a time when there is shortage of healthcare professionals across Central New York.
Schmidt has been a practicing nurse for five years. In that time she has worked in acute care cardiology at Crouse Hospital and orthopedics and gastroenterology at Saint Joseph鈥檚 Hospital. She has modeled healthy habits and treated each patient with empathy. It is demanding, complex work. But Schmidt鈥檚 decision to continue her education in Le Moyne鈥檚 Family Nurse Practitioner Program? That was a simple one.聽聽
When I was researching FNP schools, I spoke to as many people as I could to ask for their advice. Every person I spoke to who went to Le Moyne referenced one thing that really stood out: the sense of community they found there. That made choosing Le Moyne a no-brainer for me. And what they told me was absolutely true. The community I built at Le Moyne has been phenomenal.鈥�
Over the course of her time at Le Moyne, Schmidt not only refined her clinical skills, but she also learned how to educate her patients and advocate on their behalf. She learned from caring, supportive professors who brought their professional experiences to the classroom and alongside classmates who encouraged one another throughout the program. She also benefited from the College鈥檚 Healthcare Opportunities for Professional and Educational Success (HOPES) program. Funded by the New York State Department of Health, HOPES addresses barriers that can accompany advanced healthcare training, including financial, academic, cultural, and logistical challenges, so that students are better positioned to persist, graduate and enter professional practice. In Schmidt鈥檚 case, it allowed her to pay for some personal expenses while balancing work and school.
Later this summer, Schmidt will take on a new role. She will begin serving as an FNP at the Onondaga Justice Center. She looks forward to the responsibility, and she is mindful of how important it is to continue to grow in her work.
I want to learn as much as I can. I want to keep an open mind.鈥�
Take a Deeper Dive
Inspired by Brianna's Story?
Brianna’s story is part of a series of stories on medical professionals who care for and serve our community thanks in part to the Healthcare Opportunities for Professional and Educational Success (HOPES) program. HOPES is made possible thanks to a $5 million, five-year grant from the New York State Department of Health鈥檚 Healthcare Education and Life-skills Program.
