TAMPA, Fla. — Nurse practitioner Erika Hall of Premiere Body & Wellness was on the front lines of the fight against COVID-19. 

She is now building her own practice to improve wellness in her community and create a safer work environment for other nursing professionals. 


What You Need To Know

  • Nurse practitioner Erika Hall of Premiere Body & Wellness was on the front lines of the fight against COVID-19

  • Hall says change is necessary to fill a critical gap and welcome the next generation of nurses

  • She hopes one day her own daughter will benefit form her advocacy to improve work standards for all nurses

Hall has been working as a nurse for 19 years, first as a traveling Nurse and now a nurse practitioner.

She also works third shift three days out of the week at a local hospital. 

“Nursing has been the No. 1 trusted profession for 20 years in a row," Hall said. "However, we are underpaid, under appreciated, we work in situations where we are stretched beyond our capacity.”

She said the pandemic was a wake-up call, and stretched the U.S. health care system to its limits. 

“Just seeing these individuals not be able to see their families and actually seeing the hardest part, which is death,"Hall said. "I’ve worked at Moffit Center, I’ve seen death, but the pandemic was something different.”

She said the shortage in nursing professionals has been a persistent problem. She's part of several nursing groups that were presented at a march for nurses in Washington, D.C.

“They (nurses) are bringing awareness to what needs to be uncovered," she told Spectrum News. They're advocating for better nurse-to-patient ratios, fair wages and improving the pipeline to the nursing profession. 

“Even though we may have that passion to take care of others, it starts to take a toll on you," she said. Hall added that change is necessary to fill a critical gap and welcome the next generation of nurses, like her own daughter. 

“She just told me she wants to be a travel nurse," Hall said. "She wants to explore the world while caring for people."

She said she hopes one day her own daughter will benefit from her advocacy to improve work standards for all nurses.