Blog #4: Visionaries

Today in our Social Issues course, a panel of 8 nurses came to discuss their careers and experiences with the Northwest U nursing students. All of the nurses on the panel had been nurses for over 20 years, and some far exceeded that mark. What struck me about these exceptional nurses is the amount of change they have seen the profession under-go and how much they have been pioneers of change themselves. A number of the nurses had begun their nursing careers in the 1960’s, a time when race and gender were very prevalent issues. To loosely paraphrase one of the nurses: “When I started nursing school in a small Christian program, there were no people of color; according to the university ‘if they admitted one person of minority ethnicity that person would feel even more awkward in a class of Caucasians.” The nurse went on to say, “It wasn’t good, but we wanted to be nurses and we did what we could. And we have really changed things since that time.” These women were true pioneers, even if they did it quietly and gradually. Many of them are highly educated, receiving the Doctorate’s degree in the 1960’s. Many have been involved in building new health care projects from the ground up. I get very excited about being involved in progress and change. Being a nurse is a very privileged position. We have privy into our patients’ minds and fears, and we can use our knowledge to promote improvements in patient care and systems. We can see the effects of protocols and systems on real people, and we can work to improve these systems so that they are more effective and efficient.


I think the nursing profession draws many visionaries and real "do-ers". Because nurses care so much for people, they are not easily deterred when it comes to advocating for that patient. The nursing profession is very worthwhile and significant, and worthwhile causes are always worth the effort. I am sure the being a visionary is often hard and lonely, yet I look at women like those on the nursing panel, and I cannot help but think that they are proud about how they lived their lives. I want to live a life that I am proud of and be a person that I respect, and that includes devoting myself to valuable endeavors. I am glad for women like the nurses of the 1960’s who pursued higher education with fervor and worked for racial equality and better patient care. I can only hope that I will have an equal impact on the nursing profession.