A life of service, strength and self-discovery
Nikki Smith, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, CNE, CNEcl never imagined she would become a leader in healthcare, an Army officer, a mentor, a teacher and an advocate for mental health—all in one lifetime. Her journey from pharmacy tech to family nurse practitioner, and eventually a psychiatric-mental heath nurse practitioner in training, is one marked by service, resilience and an unyielding drive to help others.
Smith began her college career believing she would become a pharmacist. But a tough bout with organic chemistry nudged her toward a different path—nursing. She transferred to the Medical College of Georgia and quickly rose as a leader, becoming class president and serving on the National Student Nurses’ Association board. After graduation, the Army offered the ideal path to meet her interests in travelling, growing and serving, so she joined.
Lieutenant Colonel Smith at the shooting range in Fort Jackson, SC
Commissioned as a second lieutenant straight out of nursing school, Smith began her Army nursing career in Hawaii, where she built a strong foundation on a medical-surgical unit before training as a critical care nurse. Her assignments took her across the globe, including a pivotal 15-month deployment to Baghdad during the 2006 surge.
“Managing trauma cases, pediatric emergencies and mental health crises shifted my perspective and inspired me to become a Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) so I could care for patients across the lifespan,” Smith recalls.
She earned her master’s degree and moved to Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, where she practiced as an FNP. Smith’s leadership and clinical skills quickly stood out, leading to her appointment as Officer in Charge, and later, Chief of Primary Care—an uncommon achievement for a nurse practitioner in the military. As her career continued to evolve, she pursued her Doctor in Nursing Practice and began teaching and mentoring nurse practitioner students in El Paso, Texas, eventually taking on multiple roles in training, mentorship and program development.
“You can’t pour from an empty cup. I’m finally learning how to fill mine—and help others do the same.”
Nikki Smith, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, CNE, CNEcl
Behind her many achievements, Smith carried a heavy emotional burden. The toll of deployment, leadership stress and personal loss—her father, two grandfathers and father-in-law all passing in a short span—culminated in severe postpartum depression after the premature birth of her third child.
“I was not okay. Everyone said I looked fine, but I was drowning.”
Nikki Smith, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, CNE, CNEcl
She sought help, attending an intensive outpatient therapy program where she began to heal. It was there, amid pain and recovery, that Smith found a new purpose: to specialize in mental health so she could help others battling silent struggles, just as she had.
Since retiring from the military in 2022 after nearly two decades of service, Smith has focused on her family, her healing and her future in psychiatric-mental health (PMH) care. She reapplied to the University of Cincinnati’s post-graduate PMH Nurse Practitioner certificate program—a goal delayed by depression but now reinvigorated by purpose.
Smith now juggles clinical work in urgent care, part-time studies, advocacy, occasional teaching, writing about masking trauma in healthcare professionals and speaking at conferences, where she urges her peers to prioritize their mental well-being.
About to receive her recognition as South Carolina’s recipient of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) State Award for Outstanding Contributions, Smith’s commitment to improving mental health by teaching nursing students, presenting and talking to colleagues, or by clinically practicing, continues stronger than ever.
“You can’t pour from an empty cup. I’m finally learning how to fill mine—and help others do the same.”
Featured image: Smith as an ER nurse during her deployment to Baghdad, Iraq.
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