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VA Pacific Islands Health Care System (VAPIHCS) is proud to participate in enriching the medical culture. One way this is done is through participating in the Advanced Practice Registered
Nurse (APRN) counsel. Another way is through training the doctors and nurses of tomorrow. Lawren Murray, an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse under Mental Health at VAPIHCS, is active in
both. “I see being a preceptor to residents and participating in the APRN council as a way to give back to the medical community,” Murray said. “I love to teach, and I love to learn. I
believe in life-long learning.” Murray was interested in medicine from a young age. Her mother struggles with spinal issues, and she was drawn to the helpers who cared for her mother and
interested in knowing what they knew. This led her to nursing, and later into being VA Spinal Cord Injury nurse then a civilian nurse for the Army. She worked with veteran and active-duty
patients who had orthopedic and spinal issues, and even worked with spinal cord injuries so high up the spinal column that ventilators were required to help them breath. “Working on the
ward with the spinal cord patients was intensive care, and I learned a lot about using a ventilator,” Murray said. “I never imagined that I would end up using that knowledge when I worked on
a COVID floor during the pandemic.” Many nurses and medical professionals were deeply affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Staff in hospitals and clinics around the world worked long hours,
were isolated from friends and family, and dealt with the sadness or sickness and death every day. Many medical staff still feel that burnout, but Murray is more focused on the future. “When
I went back to school and got my master’s degree, I discovered how rewarding it is to work with Veterans,” Murray said. “They are such a unique population, and I am excited to get to work
with them and to be a preceptor and a mentor to others who want to do what I do.” Murray participates in the APRN Counsel, which is an opportunity for nurses to come together and teach each
other while learning new things. Lectures, presentations, and handouts help nurses share what they know and help others to implement best practices that have worked for them. Murray
considers it an opportunity to put her love of teaching and of learning to use. “I became a certified preceptor when I was working for the Army,” Murray said. “VA -on a national level-
trains 70% of medical professionals for some part of their education, and I feel privileged to work with people who value giving back to our profession.” Murray won a civilian service medal
for her work with the Army. Now, she works as a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner on the Behavioral Health Interdisciplinary Program (BHIP) within VAPIHCS Mental Health. She plans to continue
to serve Veterans and to be a preceptor. Murray appreciates the camaraderie and sense of purpose that she feels at VAPIHCS, and she says she is thankful for all the opportunities she has
been given.