Reflections and musings

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Maturity and experience as an editor for Elsevier journals, in particular Nurse Leader, has given me the courage to take some poetic license and share some musings on my life as a nurse. My Mother was surprised by my decision to become a nurse, Her advice was that if I was going to be a nurse I should get a college degree. That was a change in my plan, as I was focused on attending a diploma program. I have my mother (who is still going strong today at 91 years of age) to thank for my baccalaureate degree at an excellent school. With my shiny new degree I entered into clinical practice and loved it. When presented with an alumna of the year award many years later I said it belonged to my mother because she helped select my path to nursing.

My goal was to obtain a graduate degree and become a clinical nurse specialist in cardiology, but personal circumstances and other opportunities pointed me in another direction. As a single mother of two boys, financial concerns also drove my decision. A management role allowed me to make a difference and impact many patients as a nurse leader. While a manager I had the unique experience of achieving nurse practitioner certification through the VA on Long Island. This was before nurse practitioners were certified and I loved it! Internal medicine and family practice became my passion.

Looking back, my career path was opportunistic. The outcome was a series of roles that increased my nursing knowledge and my ability to help improve the health of patients. But as life happens, I was pointed back to a career focused on management. I loved the work, and when I was CNO of University of Illinois Hospital I vowed never to lose my clinical skills. Good intentions not withstanding I found myself practicing more management and less clinical care.

As I was reading some clinical journals recently it occurred to me that during my tenure as both a CEO and CNO, I never seemed to have enough time to read clinical journals. My energy was spent in learning more about finance, management, and leadership, and family and community involvement took the lions share of my time. Keeping my clinical skills current became dependent on my innumerable conversations and problem-solving sessions with nurses in the organization. I wondered if I would regret leaving the bedside but felt I was always affecting patient outcomes..

Now in phased retirement I find myself fascinated and delighted by the growth in responsibility and challenges of the practice of nursing. In reading clinical journals and reflecting on the advancements in nursing knowledge and application, I often consider the possibility of going back to school to become a Nurse Practitioner. What excites me is the growth in the acceptance of the expanded roles of nurses and the growth in the sophistication and scope of the talents of each nurse's contributions to the health of our society.

I am not sure why I have selected to write a history about my experiences except that as I read Transformation Change to a Consulting Role by Harmson and Interim Leadership by Mlekoday in this addition of Nurse Leader, I ponder the vast array of roles that are open to nursing today. This venture back in time is my acknowledgement of my profession. I'm immensely proud of my many colleagues who practice excellent nursing; they are also excellent leaders in management, practice, education, and research. We have much to be proud of; our accomplishments, impact on our patients and society, and our immense opportunities for the future. I am humbled and honored to be a nurse leader as we continue to make a significant difference in the health of our communities in countries around the world.