Nov. 4, 2015
“It’s me. I’m in the worst pain I’ve ever felt and am walking by myself to the ER.” Yeah, that is not what any parent wants to hear at 1 a.m. from their kid who is 700 miles away. Yet, that’s exactly the call I got a couple of weeks ago. I felt completely helpless. My child was far away, alone, scared and in pain.
During the next few hours, we were on the phone with her on and off while she was examined and waited for a diagnosis. Once they admitted her, it was an easy decision to hop on a plane. The only thing keeping me from completely breaking down was the fact that she was in a hospital under the watchful care of medical professionals.
It turns out she recovered quickly and was fine. No surgery needed and no major illness. But she still spent two days in the hospital, which is never fun. Hospitals are hectic, noisy, busy places. It was the first time my daughter had ever spent the night in one. The following morning she said to me, “Everyone has been incredibly nice and caring, but they are constantly busy. I could never be a nurse — I don’t know how they manage to take care of so many people at once. They deserve a special place in heaven.”
Luckily for all of us, there are people who do want to be nurses. Also lucky is that MSU’s College of Nursing is dedicated to providing top-notch education and training for those pursuing this challenging career. If you missed it last May when we first ran it, take a look at the MSUToday Feature: Taking MSU’s Vitals, to learn more about the incredible impact the college has on addressing the national nursing shortage, leading federally funded research and practicing in community-based settings across Michigan and around the world.
Carolyn Ziminski Pickering is an assistant professor in the College of Nursing. She is passionate about being an advocate for the elderly and those in long-term care. Read her FACULTY VOICE: A Voice for the Voiceless, to learn how she’s using the power of nursing research and her voice to protect others.
Jackeline Iseler is a nurse and a student in MSU’s Doctor of Nursing Practice program who used her creativity and ability to form a collaborative team to solve a problem with infection in patients. Read her STUDENT VIEW: How the 80s are Helping Prevent Infection, to learn more about how her childhood love of reenacting “Saturday Night Live” skits led to her solution.
I’ve run into my fair share of Spartan nurses — even a bunch of them who work at that university down the road. Spartan nurses are skilled, caring, dedicated, bold and determined to make the world a better and healthier place. Who will be a voice for the voiceless, find solutions, care for others and create a stronger world? Spartans Will.
Lisa Mulcrone
Editor, MSUToday
@LMulcrone
Photo of MSU's Bott Building for Nursing Education and Research by G.L. Kohuth