Board Member Highlight: Dr. Leta Vega - A Passionate Advocate for Women’s Healthcare

 

As Women’s Healthcare Month comes to a close, it’s important to reflect on the individuals who have made a significant impact in this field. One such remarkable individual is Dr. Leta Vega, CNM, APN, a dedicated healthcare professional with a passion for women’s health. As an active member and board member of the Illinois Society of Advanced Practice Nursing (ISAPN), Leta has been instrumental in advocating for women’s rights and promoting quality healthcare for all women. 

 

Navigating a Limiting Environment

Dr. Vega is a prominent force with extensive experience when it comes to women’s healthcare. Her early life and career were shaped by the limited opportunities available to women in her area and era.

Growing up, she witnessed a lack of educational options for women and a narrow range of career paths, mainly focused on nursing or teaching. However, her mother encouraged her and her siblings to pursue higher education. 

“I went this direction because I grew up in an area where women had little choice on what to do,” Leta answered when asked why she built her career in women’s health care. She went on to describe just how groundbreaking it was for her to make a career out of her home. “My high school class was 800, and I can honestly say maybe out of 800, there were 400 girls. And of those 400, maybe 50 of them went to college.” 

Leta candidly admits that she did not initially enjoy her chosen profession. “I’ll be very honest. I hated nursing. I hated nursing school. It wasn’t my thing. I didn’t like doing it.” However, she remained determined and discovered her true passion within the healthcare field. “What I did like, what I kind of narrowed it down to, was that I loved the babies. I loved the pregnancy part. So that was the career path I took.”

Initially, Leta worked part-time in labor and delivery while focusing on raising her children. However, circumstances changed with a divorce, compelling her to seek further education and become self-sufficient. She pursued her bachelor’s degree and found a new midwifery program offered by UIC that perfectly aligned with her interests and allowed her to continue working in labor and delivery.

After graduating from UIC second in her class, Leta moved to Chicago to pursue a doctorate in Nursing, where more doors opened for her as an educator in nursing. 

 

Empowering Women’s Health and Education

Dr. Vega has enjoyed a diverse and accomplished nursing career, with roles and achievements spanning various healthcare settings. She began her journey as a Registered Nurse at OSF Healthcare Proctor Hospital and Methodist Medical Center in Peoria, Illinois. Alongside her clinical work, Leta also excelled in teaching nursing at both the Bachelor’s and Master’s levels.

Currently, Leta occupies several esteemed positions in healthcare, making significant contributions to the field. In Chicago, Illinois, she serves as a Clinical Professor at Loyola University, DePaul University, Chamberlain College of Nursing, and Elmhurst College of Nursing. Additionally, she holds the position of Nursing Professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Nursing.

Despite her numerous teaching responsibilities, Leta continues to practice as an Advanced Practice Nurse and Certified Nurse Midwife in Arlington Heights, Illinois. This role allows her to bring her expertise and knowledge to both the academic and clinical realms of nursing, further enriching her impact in the field.

Advancing women’s care has always remained at the forefront of Leta’s career path. Currently, her primary role revolves around her work with WomanCare PC, an OB-GYN group in the northwest suburbs of Chicago, specifically in the Arlington Heights area. Leta is deeply committed to bringing the latest obstetric, gynecologic, and holistic methods to women, ensuring they receive the highest quality care and access to innovative treatments. Her dedication to enhancing women’s health and well-being exemplifies her ongoing commitment to making a lasting impact in the field.

 

Preserving the Human Connection

Growing up in an environment with limited educational and job opportunities, Dr. Vega was deeply influenced by her circumstances. However, she refused to let these limitations define her and instead dedicated herself to seizing every available opportunity for self-advancement. Her relentless efforts paid off, leading her to a successful career in healthcare. Along her journey, Leta discovered a passion for women’s health and the fundamental rights associated with it.

When asked about women’s health rights, Leta firmly stated, “All women should have the same access to every bit of care that anybody else has.” Her conviction in this matter only continues to grow stronger today as she witnesses more and more women veering away from the traditional healthcare system and embracing easier, online alternatives. 

In an era where online healthcare options have gained popularity, Leta raises a concern about the potential loss of the vital in-person connection between women and their healthcare providers. 

“We’ve lost that connection and the ability to encourage people to be seen by a provider every year. So just having that connection with somebody to establish that and stay on task with those things is super important.” She emphasizes the significance of having a consistent healthcare relationship.

She acknowledges that online healthcare options are not inherently negative, but she emphasizes that they can undermine the crucial in-person connection between women and their healthcare providers. This connection plays a vital role in delivering appropriate healthcare.

Leta’s unwavering belief that all women should have equal access to comprehensive care echoes the core message of Women’s Health Month.

 

Advocating for Equality in Women’s Healthcare

Women’s Healthcare Month is an important occasion dedicated to raising awareness, promoting education, and advocating for the well-being and specific healthcare needs of women. 

One significant aspect of Women’s Healthcare Month is the emphasis on promoting equality in healthcare. Dr. Leta, an advocate for this cause, expressed her views when asked about the meaning of equality in healthcare; Leta responded, “The biggest thing with women’s health, I think, right now, is not a specific thing, but it’s the ability to have the same access as a man. We should not be second-class citizens.” 

Leta’s perspective on women’s healthcare extends to specific examples, such as her response to recent legislation proposed to provide more access to the HPV vaccine, this is important in that placing barriers for access can be primarily seen as targeting

women since statistically it is more prevalent for girls to have the vaccine rather than boys. In addressing this issue, she emphasized the importance of equal provisions, stating, “We should have the same provisions as men. I think that is an important component for women to understand. And, we should support each other as women and not tear each other down just because some want access to things that somebody else doesn’t either want or need.” 

Leta’s stance exemplifies the overarching goal of Women’s Healthcare Month—to foster a healthcare system that recognizes and addresses the unique needs of women while promoting equality and solidarity among women themselves. By promoting access, breaking down barriers, and supporting one another, we can advance towards a future where women receive equitable healthcare, regardless of gender or specific healthcare requirements.

 

ISAPN: At Catalyst for Championing Women's Healthcare and Elevating Nursing Education Standards

As an active member and board member of the Illinois Society for Advanced Practice Nursing (ISAPN), Leta has been instrumental in advocating for women’s rights and promoting quality healthcare for all women. She strongly believes in maintaining high standards for nurses, even in the face of staff shortages, and has used her platform within ISAPN to voice her concerns about the decreasing emphasis on practical experience in nursing education.

Leta believes that in an evolving healthcare landscape, it becomes crucial to ensure that the education and training provided to future nurses align with the demands of modern healthcare. Drawing from her own experiences, Leta emphasizes the significance of upholding these high standards, particularly in relation to independent practice.

She notes that in the past, nurses were required to accumulate a specific number of hours in relevant roles before being considered for certain programs. However, she observes that this requirement is diminishing in many schools today, a change with which she disagrees. Leta believes that this shift away from hands-on experience diminishes the quality of nursing education. 

As a member of ISAPN, Leta finds a platform to voice her concerns about the decreasing emphasis on practical experience in nursing education. The organization provides a supportive environment that empowers nurses like Leta to advocate for the retention of high standards. ISAPN’s backing strengthens her resolve and confidence in upholding high standards for her students.

  

Leta’s exceptional dedication to women’s healthcare and her unwavering commitment to advocating for high standards in nursing education has made her a prominent figure in the field. Her remarkable journey serves as a testament to the resilience and determination of women in overcoming challenges, and her passion, expertise, and advocacy continue to shape the field of women’s healthcare, leaving a lasting impact on the lives of countless women.