Alan Llavore | Office of Strategic Communication | (909) 537-5007 | allavore@csusb.edu
It was eight-and-a-half years in the making, but Caitlin Kim did it – she graduated with her bachelor’s degree in nursing from Cal State San Bernardino in spring 2023.
The journey – and the trials – started when she was in community college.
“My mom’s sudden death in a car accident when I was 19 meant I had to support my family, my younger sister (13) and brother (15), and my grandmother (87), who suffered from Alzheimer’s,” Kim said. “I was the older sister, so I had to take over my mom’s role. … As emotionally devastated as I felt, I could not just wallow in my sadness and despair. I had to stay strong to support my father and my family.”
Kim had to step away from her nursing goals to help her family’s small delivery business, which was their main source of income. She even had to learn how to drive a 2.5-ton truck.
“I had to put my family ahead of my dream,” she explained.
While it would take several years for her to finally get back into the classroom, her mom’s untimely death solidified her decision to go into nursing.
“My mom’s sudden death taught me that every single moment, every single minute, second is so precious in our lives,” she said, noting that the tragedy showed just how special it is to save a person’s life and is why the nursing field is very meaningful to her.
Once her family settled into a better situation, Kim went back to finish community college, but she still had to work three jobs at one point. She was eventually admitted into the CSUSB nursing program, where, she says, she learned even more about the significance of humanity.
During her time as an undergraduate, Kim was part of the CSUSB Nursing Street Medicine program, a program that she says humbled her.
The Nursing Street Medicine program, which was introduced to the CSUSB Palm Desert Campus in 2018, increases access to health care by serving the sheltered, unsheltered and other vulnerable populations in the Coachella Valley through nurse clinics and other outreach programs. The goal is to improve the well-being of people, provide preventive services, treat chronic diseases/medication management, and offer foot soaks, in addition to making referrals for follow-up care.
What especially impacted Kim was the practice of foot soaking.
“Among all the activities, the foot soaking activity was the most meaningful engagement with the homeless,” said Kim. “It’s a really good experience. You learn about life, and it made me a humble person.”
During the practice, Kim let the participants’ feet soak in warm water for about 10 minutes, where she would add aroma oils and salt to help them relax and relieve their muscles. While she washed their feet and rinsed them off, she would also check them for any sores or breakdown of the skin.
“If they had any diabetic issues, I had to carefully check their feet condition while providing extra care,” she explained.
After the cleaning process, Kim would dry their feet, apply moisturizer and then provide the individuals with clean socks.
“The most meaningful moment is during the foot soaking time because that is where people communicated the most,” Kim explained. “They shared their life experiences and how they ended up being on the street. Every individual had their own story. Upon deeper reflection of my street medicine volunteer work, I gained a deeper understanding and empathy for the homeless.
“I’m grateful the CSUSB nursing program offered the Nursing Street Medicine program,” she said. “It taught me a lot of things about life.”
Kim also credits several CSUSB nursing faculty members for helping her along the way, including Dawn Blue, Pinthusorn Pattayakorn, Young Kim and Diane Vines, who is the director of the CSUSB Nursing Street Medicine program, which she also helped create.
“They were all very supportive in different ways,” said Kim.
Since graduating from CSUSB, Kim’s goal is to get her master’s degree and become a cardiac nurse, a decision she made during her CSUSB clinicals, when a patient went into cardiac arrest and was thankfully saved by the team.
“Once the heart stops, it’s over,” she said tearfully. “That moment was meant to be.”
After gaining plenty of experience as a cardiac nurse, Kim then hopes to move to the emergency room and help save people as an ER nurse.
“There are many fields that involve helping others; however, nursing is not only about providing treatment for illness and saving lives, but also focusing on caring, nourishing, prevention and promoting people’s well-being,” said Kim. “I deeply appreciate the education opportunity and hope to return my feelings of thankfulness and appreciation to the community by being of service and helping others in need of nursing and medical care for years to come.”