STARKVILLE — Vanita Phinisey’s mother had a stroke that left her unable to walk in 2007.
Now, Phinisey is a certified family nurse practitioner at OCH Regional Medical Center, and she is pushing women to advocate for themselves in their medical care.
“I wanted to advocate for her. I don’t think she advocated well for herself in going to the doctor and getting her health seen,” Phinisey told The Dispatch. “I wanted to make sure that people like my mom and people who look like me … really get seen. She’s still living. She’s totally disabled. And now, of course, I have to advocate for her.”
Phinisey spoke to Mississippi State University students and Starkville residents on Wednesday as a part of MSU’s “Women’s Health Care Throughout History” luncheon celebrating Women’s History Month.
During her talk, Phinisey walked the audience through the history of the medical field while pointing to her personal heroes, including Florence Nightingale and Elizabeth Blackwell.
“She graduated first in her class in Geneva New York Medical School in 1849. The New York state medical association promptly censured the school. And when her sister Emily Blackwell applied, do you think she got in?” Phinisey said. “She was rejected.”
But after the presentation, Phinisey led an impromptu discussion on how women can advocate for themselves in the medical system today, based on her own experience with her mom’s health.
She was already working as a nurse when her mother had her stroke but said the event pushed her to become a nurse practitioner.
“She wasn’t getting preventive care,” Phinisey said. “She wasn’t being looked on with concern or being acknowledged.”
Phinisey finished her master’s degree in 2011 and became a certified nurse practitioner. She now sees patients every day at both the OCH and Urgent Team Clinic, where she tries to make sure every patient is heard and acknowledged.
“Everyone I treat is someone,” she said. “I think that this is somebody’s mother. This is somebody’s son. This is somebody’s grandmother. And it could be mine.”
Phinisey said one of the main issues with the medical system is unconscious bias, where a doctor or other medical professional accidentally assumes the cause of a medical issue based on someone’s identity. This can cause patients to go overlooked and untreated.
Phinisey said that she often attends doctors appointments with her relatives, particularly female relatives, to combat this unconscious bias.
“It’s very important to me that we do preventive screenings and take women’s issues as real,” Phinisey said. “When a man walks into an ER and says it feels like an elephant is sitting on his chest, we’ll say he probably is having a heart attack. When a woman says it, we’ll say it’s anxiety.”
Phinisey has experienced both sides of this issue, as a patient and as a health care provider. She told the audience, as patients, to advocate for themselves. When asked how to do so, Phinisey’s advice was clear.
“Study and know your rights,” Phinisey said. “If you start challenging people on what you know… there’s going to be a difference.”
This luncheon was the first in a series MSU is hosting celebrating Women’s History Month. Two more luncheons are scheduled for March 8 and March 22.
MSU is also hosting other events to celebrate women throughout the month, including panels, social events, and an annual brunch.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 47 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 47 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
