President's pen

Kansas Nurse, Oct 2003 by Jones, Janice

The year, 1962. A 10-year-old midwestern girl eagerly opens a birthday gift from her younger brother. Being one who gets in trouble for reading instead of doing her chores (as these are the days before VCR's, DVD's, MP3's, PDA's and computers) she is delighted as she unwraps Nurses Who Led the Way, a Whitman Real Life Story (DeLeeuw, 1961).

Little did I know that these "real life stories of courageous women in an exciting profession" would direct me toward my life's chosen profession, nursing. If only I had not sold it at a garage sale, later to find it for sale in an antiques store as a collector's item. As I recall fond memories of that book and the impact it had on my life, I can't help but consider how each of us can accomplish the same thing as that book did for me...recruiting others into the nursing profession. Our stories, too, are real life, not fiction. They can be in full color with sound effects, warmth and even an occasional sense of taste and smell. All we need to do is speak with passion about our life's calling, starting with family and friends and rippling those words of passion throughout our daily lives. Those passionate words can ripple through the local boards we serve on such as PTO's, School Boards, Church Boards, Foundation Boards, Girl Scouts, and Boy Scouts. They should also ripple through our professional boards such as local district associations, KSNA, ANA, NLN, and the many specialty nursing organizations so we can help remind each other of why we are in this profession.

The one particular story I remember from Nurses Who Led the Way was about Frances Xavier Cabrini, the first US citizen canonized as a saint of the Roman Catholic Church and patron saint of immigrants. I think that as a ten-year-old I was drawn to her altruism and sense of passion and making a difference. Another example of that youthful enthusiasm can be viewed in the old black and white movie Mrs. Reynolds Needs a Nurse (Mrs. Reynolds, 1944). Consider for a moment...how would your nursing story be portrayed in a 21st century storybook or movie?

Remember to tell your stories. If you need help remembering why you entered nursing, Chicken Soup for the Nurse's Soul (Canfield et. al., 2001) will give you a wealth of reasons both to stay in nursing and reasons to recruit others into our noble profession. Just remember...don't sell the book because one day you might find it in an antique store as a collector's item!

Canfield, J., M.V. Hansen, N.Mitchell-Autio, and L. Thieman, (2001). Chicken Soup for the Nurse's Soul. Deerfield Beach, Florida: Health Communications, Inc.

De Leeuw, A. and C Le Leeuw. (1961) Nurses Who Led the Way. Racine, Wisconsin: Whitman Publishing.

Mrs. Reynolds Needs a Nurse. (1944?). Retrieved March 1, 2001 from http://www.son.washington.edu/alumni/legacies.asp