I’m not a nurse and I could never play one on TV!

When you are a female and in healthcare, introductions go something like this after the basic greeting, small talk and statement about what industry you work in. “Oh, are you a nurse?”  Because nurses make up the majority of the healthcare workforce with over 3 million in positions in the United States and a majority of those are women, the assumption is that I am a nurse! I am not but I am humbled that people might think that I am. My first job, a hundred bed hospital in rural California, was in nursing administration. Thankfully, I landed in a job with professionals, men and women, who influenced me and encouraged me to stay in a field which exemplified care, compassion, knowledge and innovation.

Throughout my career, I have had the pleasure to work with several incredible nurses who became my mentors, leaders, confidants and teachers. They cared for me like they cared for their patients…with respect, integrity, intelligence and a spirit of collaboration. They pushed me like they pushed their patients….beyond what I thought were my capabilities, helped me to strive for excellence, pressed me to ask questions rather than have answers, and helped me to realize that my emotional intelligence was as important as my knowledge and competence in healthcare.

The first nurse and the one with the greatest impact on my career direction was my mother-in-law and my best friend, Carol Eisenberg. Yes she was my mother-in-law and my best friend – that in itself was an incredible blessing. Not only did she help me to understand the basics of healthcare operations – she pushed me to listen more and talk less and focus on being a lifelong learner. Beginning as a bedside diploma nurse and retiring as a Nursing Leader with a Masters in Healthcare Administration, she exemplified care, compassion, knowledge and a spirit focused on making the care each and every person received the best it could be in the hospital and at home. Never intimidating with her knowledge, always willing to answer even the most basic questions and always listening before speaking. Those traits are essential in an industry trying to make some of the worst times of a patient’s life an acceptable experience.

In each part of my professional journey, I have had the benefit of nurse colleagues who have shared their expertise, recognized mine and helped me to understand the depth and breadth of healthcare and how I could make a positive impact. During this week of honoring nurses, I honor each of my colleagues for their contributions to patient care and am so grateful to every one of them who have pushed me to be a better healthcare professional. I didn’t necessarily choose healthcare – I just happened to land here. They chose their profession for a variety of reasons. Many of them sought a career where they could use their compassion, empathy and knowledge to make the life of a patient better.

I’ll end with some recognition for those contemplating this field of nursing. I asked my niece, Kelsey Ford – nursing student at University of Iowa – why she chose nursing. She like me was incredibly influenced by Carol Eisenberg, her grandmother. Kelsey told me that she has a passion for service and helping others in need to reach their full potential. She said given her aspirations, it felt right to choose a career path that has so much room for growth in those areas, collaboration with a variety of professionals and patients, as well as, the perfect way to honor her grandmother. I believe she is on the right path! 

During this 2019 Nurses Week....thank you to all my nursing colleagues for leading and guiding me and for your contributions to healthcare!