Q. Why did you become a nurse?
A. I had always wanted to be a nurse; it was one of my career goals in high school, and I never really looked at any other profession.
Q. Why should people get into nursing?
A. Every line of nursing is very different and there are some very different challenges. There isn’t one type of nursing that’s right for everybody. People have to do an assessment of where they best fit in; it’s a very individual decision.
But it’s not an easy profession. You have to be compassionate, professional, motivated and an independent thinker. You also have to be team-oriented and patient-oriented. We’re a service-oriented profession and we’re here to serve people.
Q. Although there are male nurses, most people think of nursing as a woman’s profession. Should men get into nursing?
A. Absolutely! We have some wonderful, absolutely wonderful male nurses. Last year, one of our nurses of the year was a male nurse. He’s very compassionate and very caring. He went into nursing for all the right reasons. He has all the right stuff.
Q. As someone who’s an administrator, what are your days like?
A. My days are very diverse! Some begin at 6:30 a.m., like today; I started in Milford this morning. We do rounds on the units and on the floors. I meet with families, staff, physicians and outside organizations. I’ve had nurses that come in and spend time with me and they’re very surprised at all the board meetings and executive meetings I attend. There’s no such thing as a typical day.
But it’s worth it to me because I like it and I think I’m making a difference.
Q. You’ve been in nursing for more than 30 years. How has the profession changed?
A. Like everything in medicine, it’s become more specialized and more complex. We’re doing more on computers, from documenting patient progress to giving medications, and nurses must be competent and skilled in using that equipment. It all has to go into a nurse’s repertoire of education and experience.
Patients themselves have changed. It used to be they were admitted for workups before an operation; now they come in the day they’re operated on and they stay much less time. A lot of surgeries are done in the outpatient area. But it’s been proven its better for patients to be in their homes or in rehabilitative areas; it’s a better environment for them to recuperate.
Q. How do you relax?
A. We have a home in Florida, and three grandkids in Maryland, and we spend a great deal of time with them. I read journals — a lot. There’s just never enough time to read all the nursing journals.
Q. Will you ever retire?
A. Not yet! I enjoy my vacations, but what would I do if I didn’t work every day? I don’t know. I don’t know if there’s enough to fill my day without being involved in nursing 24/7. I just feel I have a mission and a reason to still be here and involved in nursing.
