Graduate nursing student continues pattern of serving his community

Daniel Babcock served in the U.S. Air Force, retired from the Binghamton Fire Department and has been a nurse since 1995. Soon, he will graduate with a master’s degree in nursing and a certificate as a family nurse practitioner.

“I’ve been told I’m a bit of an overachiever,” Babcock admitted.

Over his 20-year nursing career, Babcock has racked up a number of accomplishments. He was part of the first group of students in the Decker School of Nursing to receive the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Advanced Nursing Education Workforce scholarship in 2017, is a member of the Nurse Practitioner Association (NPA) of New York and has been nominated for the NPA’s Student Nurse Practitioner of the Year Award for 2019.

Although he has accumulated an impressive number of accolades at Binghamton University and consistently appeared on the Decker School’s Dean’s List, Babcock hasn’t always been a motivated student.

“Ironically enough, I actually failed health class in high school because I never went,” he said. “My teacher would be very surprised to learn that I’m going to become a nurse practitioner.”

Babcock, who grew up in rural Delaware County, N.Y., chose to enter the military after high school. That’s when his passion for service began.

“I was a lost soul and I wanted to get out of my small town,” Babcock said. “Joining the Air Force gave me the motivation, discipline and self-esteem to succeed in life. From there, I never looked back.”

His enjoyment of the first aid and CPR courses he took while in the Air Force coupled with a desire to help others led Babcock toward nursing, a path tread by many of his female relatives. So, after four years of military service, Babcock used the GI Bill to pursue nursing school.

“I was a guy and there weren’t too many guys in nursing at the time,” he said. “But it just made sense to me.”

Although he was busy completing coursework — he earned an associate degree in nursing in 1995 and a bachelor’s degree in nursing in 2017 — Babcock never stopped serving his community.

First, he worked as a paramedic before deciding in 1998 to join the City of Binghamton Fire Department. Babcock would spend the next 19 years as a firefighter/paramedic and achieve the rank of lieutenant before retiring. But, rather than relax and enjoy a quiet retirement, Babcock enrolled at Binghamton as a 49-year-old graduate student with the goal to provide healthcare to rural communities as a family nurse practitioner (FNP).

“I’m starting my career when most people are in the twilight of their first career,” Babcock said. “Not to say I didn’t enjoy being a firefighter or a paramedic, but the amount of satisfaction I get from being a nurse practitioner is more than I could have imagined.

“My advice for Decker students is just to get started. One of my regrets is not starting sooner,” he added.

Despite his late start, Babcock has already had a tangible impact on the nursing community. He was the first student in his graduating class to be hired, having been offered a job in January after his preceptor, Erika Covell, MS ’16, noticed his strong work ethic and attention to detail at Bassett Family Health Center in Norwich, N.Y. Additionally, Babcock was part of a group that lobbied for legislation to allow nurse practitioners to see and bill workers’ compensation patients without a physician’s signature.

Having grown up in rural New York, Babcock knows how difficult it is for those living in rural communities to find healthcare without driving long distances. He wants to provide healthcare for these communities, and in a manner that will cultivate lasting relationships with his patients.

“I like to be a good clinician, but a huge part of that is being a good listener. That means actively listening to [patients’] stories, getting to know them and their families, being genuine and taking a lasting role in their health,” Babcock said.

“Dan has a desire to help the poor, rural and vulnerable populations that were influences in his early life and military career,” said Frances Munroe, clinical associate professor in the Decker School of Nursing. “His entire career has been one of service to his community and those very same populations that formed his early experiences.”

Among the reasons Babcock chose to attend the Decker School for his graduate nursing degree is its proximity to his workplace, Lourdes Ascension Hospital. He also appreciates the flexibility of Decker’s hybrid nursing programs, which allow him to work around an often-busy schedule while studying under the tutelage of Decker’s experienced professors.

“The instructors have a lot of nursing and personal experience they bring into the program,” Babcock said. “If they see you working hard and putting the time in, they go out of their way to help you succeed.”

While he could have gotten his master’s degree in nursing and FNP certificate through an online program, Babcock emphasizes the importance of crafting meaningful connections with professors and other students, something the Binghamton program allowed him to do. He has also enjoyed cultivating relationships with his patients during clinical experiences.

“I’ve had patients who want me to become their primary care provider when I start after graduation,” Babcock said.

Those patients will have to wait a bit since Babcock will spend the summer on a mission trip to care for orphans in Guatemala before officially starting his career in the fall.

Eventually, he intends to return to college for certification in psychiatric/mental health nursing so he can provide even greater service to his patients.

“Mental and physical health go hand-in-hand, and there’s such a shortage of psychiatric nurse practitioners and psychiatrists,” Babcock said. “If I got that certification, it would allow me to be an all-encompassing care provider.”

While juggling multiple careers, a family and school, Babcock’s dedication to others around him makes the hard work worthwhile.

“Knowing I have been influential in improving the health of my patients has been incredibly rewarding. Every day is meaningful and every interaction is meaningful,” Babcock said. “I love what I do.”