The Unconventional Nurse

Quisha Umemba Author

Posted On Nov 30, 2022 |

Celebrating 3 years in business!

This blog post is dedicated to the CEO of the magazine that refunded my money because I had an issue with your write-up and your cover (which didn't represent my brand or my businesses), you suck at customer recovery. I won't be suprised if you come back either, like all the rest that sleep on Quisha. It's ok though...you didn’t hurt me, you hurt yourself!

You thought you were hurting me by canceling a feature I needed for a launch. It was YOU who lost out on the eyes that would have seen your magazine and the potential clients you could have had because of me.

I didn’t hire you because I couldn’t create my own magazine cover and write my own article (about ME). I hired you because I didn’t have time! (Let me keep it real, I also wanted the exposure to your readers, duh). 

But ohhhh…how I love to do things out of spite!  Oh, and thanks for the refund, it will spend well while I’m on vacation next week. And because I know you will never admit it, I will go ahead and say it for the both of us, my cover is way better anyway!

Now, that that's out of the way... I'd like to invite you to read my article...

An Unconventional Nurse

One of the biggest challenges that plague healthcare today, more so in the post-pandemic era, is the lack of proper medical care that addresses the social factors that often affect health the most. In its absence, addressing the causes that contribute to health disparities also becomes difficult. Modern-day health-related issues do not exist due to discrepancies in healthcare, but rather due to a lack of health equity. Only treating the symptoms and not the root cause of health conditions will not make the problem go away, so people will be deprived of the help they need most, especially the disadvantaged communities within our society. The situation may seem dire, but there are solutions that exist. And this is where we find Quisha Umemba, a nurse taking an unconventional approach to reducing health disparities and advancing health equity for all.

At the Intersection of Healthcare and Public Health

Quisha Umemba has an impressive array of educational achievements and certifications to her credit. Besides being a Registered Nurse, she holds a master's degree in Public Health from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. In addition, she is a Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist, a Certified Lifestyle Coach, a Certified Community Health Worker Instructor, and she has a certificate in Health Ministry from Wesley Theological Seminary.

Quisha boasts over two decades of experience in the healthcare and public health industries. Her work history includes serving as a Disaster Response Nurse Leader for the American Red Cross, a Clinic Coordinator for an outpatient endocrinology clinic, a Chief Nurse and Program Manager for a local health department, a Diabetes Nurse Consultant for a state health department, a Registered Nurse Care Manager for a federally qualified health center, and a Clinical Programs Training Specialist for a value-based care consulting agency.

Quisha’s love for public health was sparked in a community health nursing course while getting her bachelor's degree in nursing. It’s during a homework assignment called the “windshield assessment” that she came to understand that just about everything in our surroundings affects our health in one way or another. Understanding this, she wanted to have an impact on communities rather than just individuals, so she transitioned away from the bedside and begin to work in public health.

Advancing Health Equity

In 2015 while working as a Chief Nurse for a local health department, Quisha was introduced to Community Health Workers (CHWs). CHWs are trusted members of the communities they serve and work to improve health and access to care by forging connections where people live, learn, work, play, pray, and age. 

After witnessing first-hand the impact and positive outcomes of CHWS in an outpatient diabetes education center, Quisha set out on a mission to advocate for this overlooked, and underutilized profession. It was then she decided to put her education and experience to good use founding Umemba Health, a public health education and consultant agency that helps public health organizations and healthcare systems educate their frontline workforce, empower their leadership, and expand their community presence in order to elevate the lives of the individuals and communities they serve.

Umemba Health company aims to increase workforce readiness and support career development for Community Health Workers, contributing to individual development and organizational performance that leads to improved public health and population health outcomes. The companies portfolio includes work with notable clients training CHW staff and helping them to integrate CHWs in their clinical and community settings.

Advocating for Diversity and Respresentation

As a Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist (CDCES), Quisha developed her passion for caring for people with diabetes when she worked as a clinical coordinator for an endocrinology clinic. She herself was diagnosed with gestational diabetes and now lives with pre-diabetes. In 2020, Quisha co-founded Diversity in Diabetes (DiD), a non-profit organization that creates awareness, provides education, and develops solutions that address the lack of diversity in diabetes care and management to reduce inequities in healthcare. Some of the main areas where the organization works include advocating to increase the representation of healthcare professionals in diabetes care and management, increasing knowledge of diabetes treatment options in POCLWD, increasing utilization of technology in POCLWD, and improving access to diabetes self-management education.

The non-profit organization also organizes the annual People of Color Living with Diabetes (POCLWD) Summit to provide BIPOC individuals a safe space to be seen and heard, ask questions, learn from one another and find community and support. The virtual summit is aimed at bridging the gap in awareness about people of color with diabetes and their daily struggles with racism and health disparities.

Mentoring Aspiring Entrepreneurs

Quisha’s passion for community and servant leadership goes beyond community health. As a serial entrepreneur who has had two failed businesses, she finally found the secret sauce to efficient business practices after incorporating some lessons learned from her nursing career. Quisha discovered that even after leaving the bedside, she was still able to impact the lives of others, something that she didn’t think was possible. Now, she helps those she considers “helping professionals” monetize their skillset to make impact and income. As someone who has experienced success doing what she loves and being able to make a living from doing it, her business model includes paying it forward and sharing what she has learned, especially with women who want to leverage their skills to take themselves and their businesses forward. “As women, we are always self-doubting and fail to ask for what we deserve. We need to have money to make an impact, and that is what I intend to do,” said Quisha.

The Sky is the Limit!

Quisha's entrepreneurial journey has been nothing short of remarkable as she works to advance health equity through the empowerment and education of frontline workers. She has somehow found a way to do what others only dream about. She makes a living walking in her purpose, serving in ways that bring her joy, positively impacting the lives of others. Through her consultancy Umemba Health, she plans to continue to assist public health systems and healthcare organizations train their frontline healthcare workforce. Through her nonprofit Diversity in Diabetes, she plans to continue to advocate on behalf of people with diabetes whose experiences are not always validated. As a business mentor and coach, she will continue to help others create their own lanes and thrive it, just like she did. An advocate for health equity, her life's mission is to educate, empower, and transform the lives of others. A blended background in nursing and public health, coupled with the freedom and flexibility of entrepreneurship, have enabled her to do just that. When asked if she will continue to beat by her own drum, Quisha states "being an unconventional nurse suits me just fine!"