A Truly Gifted Nurse: Erica Rogers

Our primary mission is to support the heroic work of nurses everywhere. Great nurses are the heart and soul of Gifted Healthcare. So, when we hear an inspiring nursing story, we have to tell it.

Today, we’re sharing the incredible story of Erica Rogers, Gifted Healthcare Nurse Extraordinaire.

From New Orleans to Uganda

Erica Rogers is a New Orleans native who began her nursing career at Houston’s MD Anderson Cancer Center in 2008. Erica says she loved her job right away, but soon became interested in venturing “outside the walls of the hospital” to participate in community outreach work.

After developing a close and lasting relationship with a patient in cancer treatment, she understood what was tugging at her heartstrings – she could be doing more.

Erica’s compassionate nature led her to create a peer-to-peer support system that helped patients and their families cope with the process of cancer treatment. The project’s success inspired her to pursue similar endeavors on a larger scale.

In 2014, Erica relocated back to New Orleans with plans to embark on a mission trip to Africa. She joined a small group of clinicians in Uganda, providing essential medical care to dozens of people.

While she was there, Erica realized she had found her calling.

Braveheart Foundation

As soon as she returned home, Erica established the Braveheart Foundation, a humanitarian aid and relief organization with a mission to provide resources for healthcare development in communities around the world.

The Braveheart Foundation treats patients by providing medical services, medicines, supplies, training, and education to underserved communities throughout the world. Braveheart recruits qualified medical teams and offers short-term assignments for volunteer doctors, nurses, dentists, and other healthcare professionals as well as non-medical volunteers to conduct overseas medical clinics in areas where healthcare is limited or difficult to find.

Erica has traveled to Uganda four times since she founded Braveheart, and has recruited several Gifted Healthcare nurses to join her on her mission. She specializes in providing Ugandans with malaria and parasite treatment and has saved dozens, if not hundreds, of lives.

The Ideal Gifted Healthcare Nurse

When asked to describe the qualities of the ideal nurse, Erica doesn’t hesitate.

“My motto is, ‘compassion is the highest level of intellect.’ A brilliant nurse is someone who understands that concept.”

Erica has been a Gifted Healthcare Nurse since 2018, taking advantage of her schedule as a travel nurse to oversee Braveheart’s operations and organize mission trips during her off time.

“I knew that in order to mobilize my mission, I needed to have flexibility,” Erica said. “Travel nursing and contract work allows me the flexibility to leave the country for a month or longer without putting my facility’s staff in a bind. It’s amazing.”

Accolades & Future Plans

Erica is a shining example of the incredible things one nurse can accomplish with the right combination of compassion, motivation, and a flexible schedule.

We are also proud to announce that she recently won the Millennial Award for Healthcare from the New Orleans Business Alliance!

Erica looks forward to expanding her mission, with plans to break ground on a permanent Braveheart Mission Clinic and malaria research facility in Uganda in 2020.

Gifted Healthcare is honored to support Erica’s heroic work. We can’t wait to see what the future holds for her nursing career and the Braveheart Foundation.

Join Gifted Healthcare to Make Time for Your Dreams

Are you a nurse looking for exciting career opportunities and the flexibility to pursue other projects? From travel to per diem contracts, Gifted Healthcare provides clinicians with high-paying jobs at premiere healthcare facilities across the nation.

Apply now and join the Gifted Healthcare team!