Inspired by her local upbringing and global health interests, Doctor of Nursing Practice student Morgan Hill, MS, is conducting a cultural competency project in Worcester to evaluate how the Tan Chingfen Graduate School of Nursing’s DNP curriculum addresses social determinants of health in a cultural context.
Hill, who was born in Worcester and grew up in Dudley, enrolled at UMass Chan through the Graduate Entry Pathway program, which provides students with undergraduate degrees in fields other than nursing a pathway to a DNP or PhD following nursing licensure.
“I’ve gotten so much experience at UMass Chan, not only with primary care, but also with the uninsured population in Worcester, and the immigrant population in Worcester,” said Hill, a student in the Family Nurse Practitioner Track. “My unique perspective can improve the care of that population, and I’m working toward helping other people understand the cultural dynamics that come with immigration.”
Hill majored in medical biology on the pre-med track and earned a minor in art therapy at the University of New England in Maine. While exploring health science courses at the school’s satellite campus in Tangier, Morocco, she co-founded that city’s first Narcotics Anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous programs.
“That experience opened my eyes to a diverse field of medicine and how culture impacts what people understand about health,” said Hill. “I met somebody in a café who was in recovery for several years and he was looking to start a Narcotics Anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous. I co-founded the programs with him.”
Hill decided to become a nurse practitioner and work with patients experiencing chronic pain after witnessing her own sister managing chronic pain beginning in childhood.
“I became interested in nursing after seeing the difference nurses made in my sister’s care,” said Hill. “Nursing education considers that each patient is a person, with a family, friends, a career, hobbies and passions that all play into their understanding of health. We learn to listen, to teach and to relate to patients we interact with.”
Hill, who grew up playing piano, the harp, accordion and ukulele, finds that art helps patients process complex emotions.
“I’ve seen kids after traumatic events who have witnessed their house burning down or they’ve experienced cancer pain, and they don’t always have the words to express their emotions,” Hill said. “Accessing a way to express yourself without using words is important to me.”
Hill, who participates in the Refugee Health Interest Group, traveled to the Dominican Republic in October 2021 with fellow students participating in the UMass Chan Medical School Dominican Republic Batey Health Initiative, an interprofessional team of nursing and medical students addressing health issues impacting Haitian and Haitian-Dominican migrant sugarcane workers and their families.
The Student Spotlight series features UMass Chan Medical School students in the Morningside Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tan Chingfen Graduate School of Nursing and T.H. Chan School of Medicine. For more information about UMass Chan Medical School and how to apply, visit the Prospective Students page.
