What is your favorite memory of school?
Bed-making skills lab with Virginia Crenshaw, oral quizzes with Betty Bear, public health home visits, senior seminar and graduation.
Where did your nursing career take you?
After graduation, I started a Master’s program in Psych mental health at the University of CO Medical Center in Denver. I quickly found I needed some real-life nursing experiences before continuing my graduate education. I came back to Albuquerque and worked at the UNM Mental Health Center on Marble for a year, and did I ever get real experiences there. After that, I got an MSN in Psychiatric Mental Health from UCLA and worked at Cedar Sinai Medical Center on the in-patient psychiatric unit in Beverly Hills. Next, I worked at UCLA Neuro-Psychiatric Center in the Intake and Evaluation Clinic. Following that, I taught nursing at Mount St. Mary's College in Brentwood. Sister Calista Roy was the chair and we used her model of nursing as the basis of our curriculum. I even got to write a couple of chapters for her textbook.
By then I was married and had one child. I longed to get back to NM and be close to my parents and siblings. My husband got a transfer with his aerospace company to Albuquerque and back I came.
We had 2 more children and while they were young I worked as the school nurse at A Child's Garden Preschool. Once our youngest child was in elementary school, I worked at Presbyterian Kaseman as a PRN nurse on the child and adolescent in-patient psych unit. At that point, I started working on getting certified as a Clinical Nurse Specialist in Psychiatry. Katie Harris, PhD was my mentor through UNM College of Nursing for that process. She was wonderfully supportive and knowledgeable. Through contacts made at that time, I got hired to work on the Psychiatric Consultation Service at UNMH. I also had a private practice for 10 plus years and ran a peer counseling program for seniors for 2-3 years.
What was your favorite part of your nursing career?
My most fun job was at the preschool. Young children are so teachable and the families and staff need support to do their jobs. I feel like I was able to make a major impact on the mental health of those children and their families.
I loved my private practice clients but found negotiating with the insurance companies too cumbersome.
My work at UNMH was also profoundly rewarding.
What advice would you give future nurses?
My advice to future nurses is to enjoy all the options a nursing career offers. Don't be afraid to learn new skills and try new settings.
What is your favorite memory of school?
My favorite memory is of all the people in our class. We were an interesting group and, as I remember, we were supportive of each other-- this helped us maintain our sanity. Also, I now look back on our faculty and recognize how supportive they were. Their guidance was great and they provided us with an excellent education.
Where did your nursing career take you?
My nursing career has allowed me to expand my practice and meet so many wonderful people! My first position was in Intensive Care and Cardiac at Bataan Hospital (now a Loveless on Gibson). in a few months, I was hired as a School Nurse by APS and worked as a School Nurse for that school year. I moved to California (central coast) and became the Night Charge Nurse in Pediatrics in Santa Teresa, CA. The following year I moved to San Jose, CA and began working as a Home Health Nurse with a new agency (within 1 year I was the coordinator for part of the agency). Four years later I became the Nurse Coordinator at the 4’Cs Council working with 360 Child Development Centers in Santa Clara County. While in this role, I began the Master’s program at SJSU and when I completed my Master’s degree I began teaching at SJSU. In 1997 I completed my doctorate. In 2003, I was able to begin a trajectory that would lead into a professor position in August 2008. I have been teaching at SJSU for almost 40 years and have had so many wonderful experiences.
What was your favorite part of your nursing career?
All of my experiences have been enjoyable and I found the education role to be challenging and rewarding. Since 1980 I have worked with our Nurse Managed Centers at SJSU providing care for people in the community and educating students.
What advice would you give future nurses?
Take advantage of challenges and always remember that it is our responsibility to support the patients/clients and speak up for them.
What is your favorite memory of school?
I got to Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland for graduate school to find that of 11 students in my master’s class, I was the BEST prepared student thanks to my education at UNM CON.
Where did your nursing career take you?
To OH and TX for school; to far edges of the continent—AK and SC to practice and teach; to leadership roles in patient care, administration and academia; to my final role back inpatient care as a CNS in palliative care.
What was your favorite part of your nursing career?
My first job as a professional nurse and then a CNS at Lovelace Medical Center. My teacher, then boss and mentor, Faye Truskowski, and I called it Camelot for the wonderful patient care we provided and the collaborative, supportive relationships we developed.
What advice would you give future nurses?
Never stop learning.
Also— you never have to be bored and can always find a job!
What is your favorite memory of school?
My favorite memory in school was getting my white cap! So exciting.
Also just our class get-together. Fun times going to Frontier for Cinnamon rolls!
Where did your nursing career take you?
My Nursing career took me to 7 states including Hawaii. Delivered babies in rural NC (not on purpose)! Women came in with no prenatal care and would deliver before we got them in a bed! Delivered twins with a doctor. The patient was on a gurney in the hall of L&D.
Then Hawaii in a private hospital was a totally different experience. But working in Anna Kaseman in 1973-74 and again 1992-96 was my favorite. Post Op Surgical was the best fit for me.
I transitioned from Nursing to Pharmaceutical sales because nursery care for 2 small children just didn’t work with the schedule- so opted for better hours and benefits.
I got my MBA in Albuquerque from the University of Phoenix going nights in 1991.
I'm currently living in McKinney, Texas. Retired with my dog Patches!
What advice would you give future nurses?
My advice to future nurses would be to take better care of your physical well-being so you stay healthier. Educate yourself on social issues that affect patients' well-being as well as your staff.
What is your favorite memory of school?
Getting to know all of my classmates and sharing our student nursing experiences with them on a daily basis.
Where did your nursing career take you?
What was your favorite part of their nursing career?
Working directly with children and adolescents in Psychiatric related services.