Pass the torch!

I am constantly amazed at the opportunities I have to mentor another male into considering nursing. I take great pleasure in sharing with others how choosing a career in nursing was one of the best decisions I made as a young person.

One day, as I sat in my office, a young man happened by and stopped to ask if he could speak to me about men in nursing. You don’t need to guess what I did. I motioned him inside my office and sat him down. His face beamed as I shared stories about my days as a student, as well interesting clinical cases I had encountered throughout my career. I was thrilled by the numerous questions he posed. I could feel his passion for making a difference, and I thought to myself, “Yes, this young man will make a fantastic nurse.” As he left, I knew our chance encounter was just that, because I had not planned on being in the office that day.

As I reflect, I am glad I was there and, more importantly, that I had the opportunity to meet this wonderful young man, who is clearly on his way to becoming a nurse. You know, so often we get busy and do not take the time to talk to prospective students, or we are simply too overwhelmed by all that is expected of us and unintentionally make ourselves unavailable.

I remember learning from a wise professor a long time ago to always leave my door open, both literally and figuratively, because we never know who may come knocking. Looking back, I say my professor was right. After all, it was a chance encounter that influenced me to choose nursing. The individual was an ER nurse who told me to “hold to my dream,” that I would end up doing what I was meant to do. All I can say is, I will continue passing the torch, and I think you should do the same.

For Reflections on Nursing Leadership (RNL), published for the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International.

Focus on your legacy, not the footnotes!

Have you ever wondered why mentors or colleagues betray you or do things they know are detrimental to your career? Ever since I can remember, I have pondered this phenomenon. I recall expending a lot of energy trying to understand their motives—in other words, the “why" question. It took me a long time to make peace with the fact that, no matter how much you revere a nurse or how kind a colleague is to your face, he or she can betray you in a second in the worst way.

Like you, I have heard countless stories of how malicious gossip, spread by those with an appetite for cynicism, has damaged a nurse’s reputation The lesson I had to learn was to separate the person’s actions from the noble profession of nursing.

When I decided to become a nurse, it was more than a career decision. It was a choice motivated, in part, by an internal sense that my call to nursing was to heal and help others live a life of quality and, more importantly, integrity. I have been privileged during my life’s journey to know inspiring individuals who happen to be nurses. They are people I can trust and turn to for advice and wise counsel. Unfortunately, as with some of you, I have also experienced betrayal and often wondered how we advance our profession by hurting other nurses.

Well, through the years, I have ceased asking myself that question and, instead, decided to focus on the legacy I want to leave. In trying to fix nurses who engage in destructive behaviors, we eventually lose our selves and our purpose.

So, here is my advice. No matter how tempting it is to seek revenge, don’t. Instead, focus on what brought you to nursing, and resolve to be a healing rather than a destructive force. Smile, because when your life journey ends, you will be remembered for the investment you made in improving people’s lives. More importantly, the legacy of your nursing career will outlive any negative footnotes created about you by those who have sadly lost sight of the core values of our noble profession.

For Reflections on Nursing Leadership (RNL), published by the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International.