Erma J. Vazquez FNP-BC

Erma Vazquez, FNP‑BC, is a highly accomplished healthcare professional, educator, and entrepreneur with more than 30 years of experience dedicated to compassionate, patient‑centered care. Based in Chesapeake, Virginia, she is the founder of Vazquez Health & Wellness, where she provides comprehensive primary care with a focus on prevention, education, and empowering patients to take control of their health.

Erma’s clinical expertise spans a wide range of settings, including primary care, post‑acute rehabilitation, veterans’ healthcare evaluations, corrections medicine, addiction medicine, and pediatrics. Her career is defined by a commitment to meeting patients where they are, listening deeply, and tailoring care to each individual’s needs.

Her journey in healthcare began as a medical assistant, followed by service as a paramedic for the City of Richmond. Driven by a passion for growth and service, she completed a paramedic‑to‑RN bridge program at Jefferson College of Health Sciences in 2006, earned her BSN from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2010, and later obtained a Master’s degree in Biological Sciences from Central Connecticut State University in 2014. In 2019, she completed her Master of Science in Nursing at Maryville University and became a board‑certified Family Nurse Practitioner. Her academic excellence earned her membership in the Golden Key Honor Society at VCU.

Beyond clinical practice, Erma is a dedicated educator and mentor. During the COVID‑19 pandemic, she served as an adjunct RN professor at ECPI University, teaching pediatrics and shaping the next generation of nurses. She has also precepted numerous nursing and nurse practitioner students, continuing her commitment to developing future healthcare leaders.

Erma’s passion for community service is equally strong. She supports Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters and collaborates closely with her sister’s nonprofit, the LUMINA Center in Pennsylvania. Together, they created the Teddy Bear Clinic, an interactive program that helps children feel more comfortable with healthcare through hands‑on learning and play.

Through every chapter of her career, Erma blends clinical expertise with compassion, education, and service — embodying a lifelong commitment to caring for others and strengthening the communities she serves.

• Jefferson College of Health Sciences, Roanoke - Paramedic to RN Bridge Program, 2006
• Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) - B.S.N., 2010
• Central Connecticut State University, New Britain, Connecticut - M.S. in Biological Sciences, 2014
• Maryville University, St. Louis, Missouri - M.S.N./F.N.P.-B.C., 2019

• FNP-BC (Family Nurse Practitioner - Board Certified)

• Golden Key Honor Society - Virginia Commonwealth University
• Owner of Vasquez Health and Wellness
• LLC

• Golden Key Honor Society - Virginia Commonwealth University

• Children's Hospital
• the King's Daughters - donations and fundraiser support
• Church involvement - purchased school uniforms for children
• LUMINA Center
• Lewistown
• PA - Teddy Bear Clinic for after-school program (published in local Sentinel newspaper)

At the heart of my teaching philosophy is the belief that nursing education thrives when learners feel connected — to their patients, to their instructors, and to their own sense of purpose. I view every learning encounter as an opportunity to cultivate curiosity, reduce fear, and build confidence. Whether I am teaching children in a community setting or guiding adult learners in a clinical environment, my goal is to create experiences that make healthcare feel accessible, meaningful, and empowering.

My approach is grounded in experiential learning. The Teddy Bear Clinic I helped create at the LUMINA Center exemplifies this philosophy. By allowing children to practice vital signs, splinting, injections, and bandaging on teddy bears, we transformed fear into familiarity. This same principle guides my work with nursing students: when learners can touch, practice, question, and reflect, they develop deeper understanding and long‑lasting confidence.

Nursing is both a science and a profoundly human profession. I strive to model the compassion, patience, and emotional intelligence that I expect students to bring to their patients. In my classrooms and clinical rotations, I create an environment where questions are welcomed, mistakes are reframed as learning opportunities, and every student feels valued. This is especially important in high‑stress periods, such as teaching pediatrics during the COVID era, when students needed reassurance as much as instruction.

My work with LPN‑to‑RN bridge students has been among the most rewarding experiences of my career. These learners arrive with lived experience, commitment, and a clear desire to advance. I honor their backgrounds by teaching collaboratively, encouraging critical thinking, and challenging them to expand their clinical reasoning. I believe adult learners flourish when they are treated as partners in the educational process — respected for what they bring and supported in where they are going.

Precepting nursing students, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants in Virginia has reinforced my belief that mentorship is essential to the future of healthcare. I aim to model professionalism, ethical practice, and compassionate care while helping learners develop their own clinical voice. My role is not only to teach skills but to inspire confidence, integrity, and a commitment to lifelong learning.

Whether in a classroom, a clinical unit, or a community center, I view teaching as a way to strengthen the health of entire communities. When children leave a Teddy Bear Clinic less afraid of healthcare, or when a bridge student earns their RN and brings advanced skills back to their workplace, the ripple effect is profound. My teaching is driven by the belief that every learner I support ultimately contributes to safer, more compassionate patient care.