IANANT Nurse Spotlight - Sobha Das
Sobha Das, DNP, APRN, FNP-C
Nurse practitioner, Nuclear Medicine service, Dallas VA
Dr. Sobha Das is an energetic, enthusiastic, and inspirational lead nurse practitioner currently working in the Nuclear Medicine Department. She completed her nurse practitioner program in 2008 and worked for a few years in primary care and women’s health before moving to her current specialty, Nuclear Medicine. She wears many hats, including overseeing inpatient and outpatient studies, reading and reporting DEXA scans, and coordinating different cancer therapies. She is considered an influential nurse practitioner and a leader in her organization, as evidenced by her active participation in hospital committees and professional development initiatives. She seeks opportunities to grow and let others grow through coaching other NP and DNP students. We learned some interesting facts about this dynamic nurse practitioner who has been actively involved in her community and IANANT.
What did you dream of doing as a career in school? How did you choose nursing? How did you land in your current specialty?
My childhood dream was to be a college professor. After I got married and moved to the United States, I decided to go into nursing; it was the best decision I took. It opened up many incredible opportunities for me to grow professionally and give back to my community. I started as an ICU nurse in 1997. I went back to school and became a nurse practitioner in 2008. As an NP, I worked in primary care and a women’s health clinic for seven years. I wanted to get experience in specialty care, so I moved to the nuclear medicine service for the last seven years.
What is the favorite part of your job? What are some of your challenges?
Being a lead NP in nuclear medicine, I wear many hats. I oversee the inpatient and outpatient studies, read and report bone density scans, attend educational committees, and tumor boards, and coordinate nuclear medicine cancer therapies. My favorite part of my job is that I get to make a difference in veterans’ lives and provide care for people who have defended our country. One challenge I see in the nuclear medicine department is that some cancer treatments are only provided at the VA in Dallas, so coordinating care for veterans that live outside of the Dallas area takes a lot of time and work. We have to collaborate with providers at different VA sites and arrange transportation to get the patient to Dallas. Even though it is challenging, providing newly approved cancer treatment could potentially save the lives of veterans.
What do you do for professional development? What do you expect from IANANT?
For professional development, I attend CME conferences and use resources like Up-To-Date and Epocrates. I review professional journals and evidence-based practice guidelines. I attend webinars provided through IANANT.
What do you aspire to achieve in next five years?
I hope to use more of my time to serve the community through IANANT and other organizations like the LIONS club. This has allowed me to provide care to the community. Currently, we are working on a mobile clinic through the LIONS club to serve the underprivileged.
Any advice for future nurses?
If someone is thinking about becoming a nurse, I highly recommend it because it is a rewarding career. Nursing provides a great career ladder with many different avenues, such as hospital nursing, academia, nursing informatics, and management.
*If you want an IANANT nurse to be nominated for “Nurse Spotlight” please send the nomination to indianamericannurses@gmail.com
Interviewed by:
Dr. Jaisy Sonny
APRN Chair, IANANT