Monique Rodriguez

And by the questions I ask, they're always like, are you a nurse? Or why does it matter? Do you not expect an educated Black person to ask these type of questions? So we have to be our own advocate. And so I hope that people gather that from reading my traumatic story of having my son.

And by the questions I ask, they're always like, are you a nurse? Or why does it matter? Do you not expect an educated Black person to ask these type of questions? So we have to be our own advocate. And so I hope that people gather that from reading my traumatic story of having my son.

And when I had my son and I had to go back into a career field, that number one, I didn't want to be in in the first place. And then number two, I was dealing with the loss of my son and having to now take care of patients. My head wasn't there. I can imagine. Like, no. I remember my boss pulling me in and she's like, you're not the same nurse that you were before.

And when I had my son and I had to go back into a career field, that number one, I didn't want to be in in the first place. And then number two, I was dealing with the loss of my son and having to now take care of patients. My head wasn't there. I can imagine. Like, no. I remember my boss pulling me in and she's like, you're not the same nurse that you were before.

And I'm like, well, you think like I just lost my son. I'm not going to be that person. No. So I had to go through this healing journey. And I and I knew that I did not want to go back into a field where I felt I was doing everything right. I knew everything that I should have known. And something still happened to me. I had I wanted to just cut ties with the medical round.

And I'm like, well, you think like I just lost my son. I'm not going to be that person. No. So I had to go through this healing journey. And I and I knew that I did not want to go back into a field where I felt I was doing everything right. I knew everything that I should have known. And something still happened to me. I had I wanted to just cut ties with the medical round.

People ask me all the time. Would you want to go back? Absolutely not.

People ask me all the time. Would you want to go back? Absolutely not.

Absolutely not.

Absolutely not.

Absolutely not. And, you know, but it paid its contribution to my journey and who I am today. But it's not who I am. And I just had to cut ties with it to avoid being depressed.

Absolutely not. And, you know, but it paid its contribution to my journey and who I am today. But it's not who I am. And I just had to cut ties with it to avoid being depressed.

I wouldn't push women to stay away from the health care system. I still think that it's needed. But I think that as women, we should just educate ourselves on speaking up, educating ourselves on basically what you just said, like having a black doctor Or if your doctor is not black, maybe a minority doctor.

I wouldn't push women to stay away from the health care system. I still think that it's needed. But I think that as women, we should just educate ourselves on speaking up, educating ourselves on basically what you just said, like having a black doctor Or if your doctor is not black, maybe a minority doctor.

But having someone that is that hears your concerns, that listens to your concerns and does not just blow you off. If you have a doctor that comes in the room and they just want to like do a quick assessment, write you a quick prescription.

But having someone that is that hears your concerns, that listens to your concerns and does not just blow you off. If you have a doctor that comes in the room and they just want to like do a quick assessment, write you a quick prescription.

I stay away from doctors as quick with the pen and write a prescription without trying to understand and walk through like the assessment skills that they teach you in school of what is wrong. And then once they identify what is wrong, what is causing that? Are there natural things that you can do to reverse whatever it is? Like, don't be so quick to just put me on medication.

I stay away from doctors as quick with the pen and write a prescription without trying to understand and walk through like the assessment skills that they teach you in school of what is wrong. And then once they identify what is wrong, what is causing that? Are there natural things that you can do to reverse whatever it is? Like, don't be so quick to just put me on medication.

So I just like a doctor to be very thorough and to listen to me as a patient. And I just encourage, you know, our community to just find those type of doctors, because at the end of the day, we still do need, you know, doctors. If you are a C-section candidate, you can't have a home birth. You need to go to the hospital.

So I just like a doctor to be very thorough and to listen to me as a patient. And I just encourage, you know, our community to just find those type of doctors, because at the end of the day, we still do need, you know, doctors. If you are a C-section candidate, you can't have a home birth. You need to go to the hospital.