[hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]Clara Jones was 7 years old when she immigrated to the U.S. from South Korea with her family. After arriving, she witnessed her mother struggle with infertility, including miscarriages, ectopic pregnancies, and surgeries.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]Jones witnessed the compassion of the healthcare providers who cared for her mother as she journeyed through these challenges, and she was inspired by the people who cared for her family in their most intimate time.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]In addition to her mother’s hardships, Jones grew up with spotty healthcare coverage due to financial hardship, cultural barriers, and language barriers after immigrating.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]”I, unfortunately, learned the hard way the importance of healthcare and the inequities that minority groups experience,” she says.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]These experiences led Jones to [hen-ui-link href=”/careers/labor-and-delivery-nurse/how-to-become/”]become a labor and delivery nurse[/hen-ui-link] from Atlanta, Georgia. As a first-generation Korean American, feminist, nursing student, nurse, and now family nurse practitioner, her story has appealed to a lot of people.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]In the past several years, she has created a lifestyle brand that encompasses her personal growth and development. In our interview, Nurse Clara shared the importance of [hen-ui-link href=”/articles/influential-aapi-nurses-to-follow-on-social-media/”]Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) representation in healthcare [/hen-ui-link] and how The Asian Care Unit (ACU) helps to meet the needs of the community.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]She has also collaborated with [hen-ui-link href=”https://goclove.com/”]Clove[/hen-ui-link], a healthcare shoe company, to create a shoe that celebrates community. Jones speaks about the [hen-ui-link href=”/articles/nurse-entrepreneur-ideas//”]nurse entrepreneurship[/hen-ui-link] collaboration that led to the development of the shoe and the importance of finding an AAPI [hen-ui-link href=”/resources//the-importance-of-mentorship-in-nursing/”]nurse mentor[/hen-ui-link] to support new nurses’ efforts.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-heading variant=”h2″ class=”text-secondary”]AAPI Healthcare Representation and The Asian Care Unit[/hen-ui-heading][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Nurse Clara experienced increased fear and hatred, like many of her other AAPI friends. She found herself experiencing xenophobia on the train after the start of the pandemic and witnessed many others who looked like her being attacked and murdered in public.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]She realized that when the public was generalizing fear and hatred toward all Asians, there wasn’t a place for her community to gather and support each other.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]This was the motivation to found The Asian Care Unit. The ACU is an online community of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders who meet on [hen-ui-link href=”https://www.instagram.com/theasiancareunit/”]Instagram[/hen-ui-link] and Facebook to share their stories and network with others.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]”Our community at The ACU allows us to come together, share our experiences, and be our whole selves without fear or worry of judgment or hate,” she says.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]The AAPI community is under-represented across society. For example, from a report released from the [hen-ui-link href=”https://uploads-ssl.webflow.com/5f629e7e013d961943d5cec9/6098a7be3d627168e03054da_staatus-index-2021.pdf”]Leading Asian Americans to Unite for Change (LAAUNCH)[/hen-ui-link] in 2021:[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]AAPI representation in healthcare has had a significant impact on patient care. Jones’ own mental health provider is also a Korean American woman, and Jones experiences firsthand the [hen-ui-link href=”https://nursejournal.org/resources/why-representation-matters-in-nursing/”]benefits that healthcare representation[/hen-ui-link] and shared experiences can provide.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]”There are so many intricate details of growing up as a multicultural immigrant that many do not know or understand,” she says. “It eases my mind when I know that I don’t have to teach or explain certain traumatic and stressful experiences in my past.”[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]A shared culture allows healthcare providers to meet the specific needs of their patients. While providing patient care, Jones provides culturally sensitive care to birthing individuals during labor and delivery.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]This looks like not offering ice-cold water after childbirth or knowing that patients of Asian descent prioritize modesty. It also looks like knowing Asian women are more likely to refuse pain medication or are more likely to hemorrhage after delivery.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]Jones has also been able to translate and care for laboring patients of Asian ethnicities and see that patients can trust the care they receive.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]”The comfort that I have witnessed come over them when they see that their provider looks like them is an honor,” she says.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-heading variant=”h2″ class=”text-secondary”]Mentorship in AAPI Communities Fosters Successful Careers[/hen-ui-heading][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]Research data demonstrates that mentoring relationships in nursing positively impact a nurse’s future career and [hen-ui-link href=”/articles/how-to-manage-stress/”]nurse resilience[/hen-ui-link]. An effective mentor can expand a nurse’s professional network, improve career development opportunities, and increase their confidence in their skills.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]Representation in mentorship takes this a step further. Mentored nurses also demonstrate a higher level of resilience, which may help reduce challenges with burnout.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]Traditionally, experienced nurses have challenged new nurses in a way that was not supportive and led to the expression that “nurses eat their young.” Nurse Clara knew from the outset that she didn’t want to surround herself with nurses who held this belief.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]”Nurses can make the most of their mentorship by being honest, taking every connection and relationship with gratitude, and most importantly, giving back to ensure that our profession is no longer associated with ‘nurses eating their young,'” she says.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]Importantly, AAPI mentorship relationships are valuable. Being mentored by someone of a similar background creates an environment where new nurses are shown and supported in becoming strong and successful nurses. Nurse Clara relied on the Asian nurses who went before her, so that she could practice and contribute in the healthcare field.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]”It becomes a trickle-down effect that eventually allows for so many more brown and black girls to take up more space and seats at the table,” she says.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]This is the basis of The Asian Care Unit — to offer support and mentor opportunities to AAPI nurses. The ACU community opens the door to mentor relationships outside a nurse’s geographical area. They also encourage communication and support throughout the community.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-heading variant=”h2″ class=”text-secondary”]Clove x Nurse Clara: Pursuing Entrepreneurial Collaborations as a Nurse[/hen-ui-heading][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]Another path of Jones’ nursing journey led her to an entrepreneurial collaboration with Clove sneakers. Jones worked with Clove to create a sneaker specifically designed for healthcare professionals who spend many hours on their feet caring for patients.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]Many of the designs are liquid and stain resistant. Yet the company still sought to make them creative, fashionable, functional, and comfortable.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]Clove was founded by the husband of a nurse who witnessed firsthand the special challenges of being a nurse. He collaborated with designers and healthcare providers to develop modern footwear specifically for nurses.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]The company name is written with a line above the “C,” which, as all nurses will know, is medical shorthand for “with.” With Love is the mission behind the company that strives to provide comfort and support for frontline healthcare workers.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]Nurse Clara discovered Clove just as they were launching and became a member of the brand’s Clove Collective. Clove Collective is a give-back ambassador program with members from every healthcare profession, including nurses, doctors, physical therapists, and pharmacists.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]She and the team collaborated on the design for about one year before the shoe’s release called The Clara 1. Her shoe is the first to incorporate a lace-free, v-shaped elastic band.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]Another thing Jones loves about the shoe is the Mugunghwa flower, a beautiful flower with great significance in Korean culture that represents resilience within Korean stories.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]”What better way to pay tribute to my upbringing than to include this flower throughout the sneakers detailing and in the logo!” she says.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]Jones also used her years of experience learning photography, editing, and marketing to collaborate on the campaign shoot. Her goal was to portray that nurses are more than their chosen profession. She showcased the different sides of her personality through her wardrobe and easily included the shoe with her look.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]”This shoe is to serve as a reminder of our own purpose and encourage healthcare professionals to embrace all elements of themselves, personally, professionally, and culturally,” she says.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]Her goal in designing the shoe was to give nurses the support they needed without being clunky or heavy, all while being fashionable too. The shoes have multilayer insoles that are machine washable to help fight odor since many nurses are in their work shoes 12 hours a day or more.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]Nurse Clara encourages nurses to remember that there is room at the table for them. She provides a few tips for other nurses seeking entrepreneurial adventures:[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]”More importantly, I believe that you should always remember that you have your own unique story and gifts,” Jones says. “Use that to your advantage!”[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-heading variant=”h2″ class=”text-secondary”]Meet Our Contributor[/hen-ui-heading][hen-ui-flex direction=”column” gap=”lg”][hen-ui-expert-bio name=”Nurse Clara Ga Yeon Jones” img-src=”https://res.cloudinary.com/highereducation/image/upload/e_grayscale,c_fill,h_300,w_300,/v1645577345/NurseJournal.org/Headshots/clara-ga-yeon-jones.jpg” img-alt=”Nurse Clara Ga Yeon Jones” layout=”horizontal” background=”white” /][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″ slot=”contentRight” class=”text-base”][hen-ui-link href=”https://www.nurse-clara.com/”]Nurse Clara Ga Yeon Jones[/hen-ui-link], an Atlanta-based influential healthcare professional from Jeonju, South Korea, is a role model and mentor. She has had a major impact on the nursing community through offering educational content about her personal and professional journey as a nurse. Jones is a recent graduate of [hen-ui-link href=”/state/georgia//”]Georgia State University[/hen-ui-link] with a master’s in nursing, and she is a newly certified family nurse practitioner. Jones had worked as a night shift labor and delivery nurse for four years at Northside Hospital.[/hen-ui-text] [hen-ui-text variant=”b4″ slot=”contentRight” class=”text-base”]Jones is the founder of [hen-ui-link href=”https://www.asiancareunit.com/”]The Asian Care Unit[/hen-ui-link], also known as The ACU, a community for networking, mentorship, empowerment, and self-reflection amongst AAPI individuals within the healthcare industry.[/hen-ui-text][/hen-ui-flex]