U of T nurse practitioner student looks to break barriers in new Scarborough program
Lakshmi Asokan is one of 30 students in the inaugural class of the nurse practitioner program. They all have ties to Scarborough and will each do a placement in the community.
The University of Toronto will welcome its first cohort of nurse practitioner students to the new Scarborough Academy of Medicine and Integrated Health (SAMIH) in September. Lakshmi Asokan, an inaugural student in the program, chose nursing to assist people during their most challenging moments. Her parents, immigrants from Sri Lanka, faced financial and language barriers when her grandmother was diagnosed with cancer, inspiring Lakshmi to pursue a career in medicine to support families like hers.
After completing her accelerated nursing undergraduate at U of T and working as a registered nurse at North York General Hospital, Lakshmi is now pursuing a nurse practitioner degree at SAMIH. This two-year program, which will include placements in the community, aims to address the need for more nurse practitioners in primary health care and health equity.
Thirty students with ties to Scarborough will participate in the program, with the hope that they will remain in the area and contribute to the community's healthcare system. Lakshmi envisions opening her own clinic in Scarborough once she completes her studies, but for now, she is focused on preparing for her first day of class on September 15.
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