Pride Month Spotlight: ISAPN Board Member Amir Raad

Amir Raad, DNP, PMHNP-BC, RN, works as a psychiatric nurse practitioner at Ascension Mercy Medical Center in Aurora, Illinois. He started his position in July 2021.

  

As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, we’re featuring him as our Pride Month member highlight.

In his work as a psychiatric nurse practitioner, Amir sees improvements in the mental healthcare for LGBTQ+ patients—while also recognizing there’s a lot of work yet to be done.

“In mental health areas, you see a lot of LGBTQ+ patients, especially now. I did my DNP project on LGBTQ+ education for healthcare providers. I focused on how to approach and treat somebody who identifies in that population, and I educated providers on inclusive practices for LGBTQ+ patients.

“Now, at work, anybody who’s transgender has a choice where they want to be housed. That education definitely needs to be out there. It’s happening, and it’s awesome.”

Amir works at Ascension Mercy Medical Center in Aurora, but he wasn’t originally planning to live in the Midwest. The pandemic—and then love—brought him to Illinois.

He was nearing completion of his DNP program in Arizona and was nearing graduating when everything changed in March 2020. When his university paused clinical, he signed up for a COVID relief assignment as an RN. He was originally going to be deployed to a New York hospital but ended up being diverted to the Chicago area.

“I actually met my partner, David, here—this is where he lives. After my assignment ended, I moved back to Arizona to complete my DNP. I didn’t know what I was going to do for work post-graduation and as David and I continued talking I decided to come back. I got a job in the Chicago area, and now we live together. It’s amazing.”

Now he and his partner both work in roles where they help people.

“My partner works for the Alzheimer’s Association. He helped lead the initiative to have Illinois healthcare providers and paramedics take dementia-specific continuing education to renew their license, which I thought was awesome.

“In my role now, I cover a geriatric unit as well. I love that we are both helping people with our work. It makes our relationship stronger.”