Our Story

Throughout my nursing career, I was the only Latina in the room: in nursing school, in the operating room, in leadership. Having been the only one too many times throughout my life, disappointedly, it is something I came to expect.  As my career progressed, I saw clearly what the data confirms: when patients cannot see themselves in the people caring for them, the system fails them. Cultural and linguistic gaps in healthcare are not just discomforts. They are safety issues. 

When the pandemic collided with the racial murders of 2020, I reached my breaking point. Done. Exhausted by a broken system. Demoralized by a profession that called itself the most trusted in America while making so many of us feel invisible. An avid reader, I turned to stories written by Latina|e|o|x and Hispanic nurses to help invigorate me. There were none. Not a single book written by or about Latina|e|o|x or Hispanic nurses existed. I knew I had to write my story, and share the stories of so many other brave, talented, generous Latinas in Nursing.

It started with Latinas, because that is how I identify, and because our stories had never been told. Then came Latinos, because the men in our profession deserve the same platform. In June 2026, we release the inaugural LGBTQIA+ in Nursing volume, because every voice in our community deserves to be heard. Three volumes. Forty-five stories. A movement still writing itself.

Latinas in Nursing is a compilation of the beautiful and powerful stories of challenges, glories, triumphs, defeats, resiliency, growth, and discovery that influential Latina|e|o|x and Hispanic nurses share about their inspiring journeys. These are not just stories. They are a starting point and gateway for Latina|e|o|x and Hispanic nurses to what they have always deserved: support and resources for growth, opportunities to improve nursing and healthcare, and robust pipelines and systems to increase and retain the number of Latina|e|o|x nurses in nursing, nursing leadership, and nursing academia across the US and eventually, across the world.

What began as a compilation became a community. What began as a community became a movement.

Latinas in Nursing is no longer just a book. It is a platform, a pipeline, and a promise. A promise that Latina|e|o|x and Hispanic nurses will be seen, supported, and positioned to lead in every room where decisions about people are made.

This is only the beginning.

-Tina Loarte-Rodríguez