Eric Alvarez always knew he wanted to be a nurse, but he couldn’t foresee the barriers he would break and the lives he would touch by doing so. Not only is Alvarez the first and only male labor and delivery nurse at St. Joseph Hospital in Denver, but he’s the only Black nurse on his floor. Now he’s making a name for himself by offering personalized care transcending racial and gender expectations.
Alvarez grew up in St. Petersburg, Florida, but moved to Colorado as a high school senior. His plans of attending nursing school in Florida were derailed, so he decided to join the Air Force to get back on track. After serving for several years, he returned to his original dream. The Denver College of Nursing offered a favorable schedule, small class sizes, and devoted teachers that would change the trajectory of his career.
He knew he wanted to care for people at their most vulnerable but wasn’t sure of a specialty until his obstetrics class.
“I discovered all these health disparities, not only for women but for women of color,” Alvarez says. “You go to the hospital to have a baby, which people have been doing for thousands of years, but women and babies are dying out of nowhere. I wanted to know how I could make a change.”
With a focus in mind, he completed his schooling to become a labor and delivery nurse in 2021. He’s now pursuing an advanced degree as a nurse midwife, allowing him to offer continuing care past delivery to his patients.
And his patients are grateful for him. He smiles as he recounts one expectant mother’s reaction when he and a Black midwife entered the room for the first time.
“She was on the phone with her mom and said, ‘Oh my god, my nurse and my midwife are both Black. What a beautiful day!’ She was just ecstatic,” he says.
In his short career, Alvarez has already helped birth 500 babies, and he’s just getting started. After completing his Nurse Midwife degree, he plans on getting a DNP and working in activism to change policies to better maternal outcomes for people of color.
“I want to be able to positively affect a larger scope of people beyond just those in my hospital room,” Alvarez says.
Are you ready to make a difference in someone’s life? Explore nursing careers at the Denver College of Nursing today. Click here for more information or call us today at (800) 600-6604 and speak to one of our career advisors.