Sonia R. Mendoza, BSN, RN
Sonia R. Mendoza, BSN, RN
Staff Nurse
NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan
41 years of service
“I give my all with no hesitation.”
In her 41 years as a nurse at NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan, Sonia Mendoza has had such a strong impact on patients that many specifically request her by name to care for them.
“My patients are mostly like family and we all have traveled to the ‘senior years’ together,” she said. “I am blessed to know that they can always rely on me to help them when needed. They always look for Sonia, even when I’m not around. I feel a sense of belonging and accomplishment when I learn they are sad to hear I am retiring.”
“It shows me I have served my purpose,” she said.
Mendoza began her nursing career in her native Philippines, graduating in 1980 with her Bachelor’s degree in Nursing from the University of Santo Tomas. She moved to New York City in 1982 and immediately put her nursing skills to work. “I started off as nurse in the operating room until 1993,” she recalls. “I then moved to the urology cystoscopy unit from 1993 to present, until retirement.”
Nursing was something she felt drawn to as a career, Mendoza explains.
“In all honesty, I persuaded myself to be a nurse because of my affinity to the nurses’ uniform,” she remarks. “As my journey in nursing school progressed, so did my attachment and curiosity as to what nursing is all about. It became more and more clear to me that I had a calling.
“There have been struggles and hardships along the way, but the satisfaction of helping others is enough to make you want to continue to be a nurse,” she said. “And I am happy I did. Through the years I’ve learned to navigate all of the day-to-day moments with patients, co-workers and management, to make it enjoyable, and I’ve had numerous ‘best moments’ throughout my career.”