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Nurses are at the front lines of community health and patient health care. They make policy, face life-threatening emergencies, build healthy communities and schools, conduct health-improving research, and are often the human face of healthcare organizations. Nursing is the largest healthcare workforce in the nation, it is regularly ranked as the most trusted profession, and employment in nursing is expected to grow much more rapidly than the average for all occupations.

National Nurses Week honors the expertise, care and contributions of nurses across the broad scope of our practice, and calls upon us all – nurses and non-nurses alike — to reflect upon and express gratitude for working relentlessly to keep us healthy. National Nurses Week falls during the birthday week of Florence Nightingale, a complex woman who formalized the work of nursing during the Crimean War and created the role of the professional nurse. She was the descendent – as we all are – of the community health workers and caregivers who have focused on the health of all of us for millennia. National Nurses Week shines a spotlight on the work that nurses do every day. This is a week when nurses often receive the thanks that may be absent the rest of the year, and the recognition of the expertise and skill that nurses bring to shaping healthcare.

One of the essential roles of a nurse is the assessment and support of recovery – from birth, from an illness or injury, or, this year, from a pandemic. Nurses are emerging from the acute phase of the Covid-19 pandemic with a new understanding of the limitations and strengths of our healthcare system, and of ourselves. This is an opportunity for us to reflect on the many ways that nurses and nursing change lives, to honor the work that they do and the people they care for, and to reinvigorate the hard work of changing healthcare into something both more sustainable and more equitable for us all. Nurses are so lucky to do the work that they do, to be invited into people’s most intimate thoughts and lives, and they deserve the support of our community to do that work. This week is an opportunity for nurses to feel that support, to know it is there, and to call on it to create change in ways that keeps them able to do the critical work they do.

To recognize the critical contributions that nurses make to our local, regional, and global communities, please join us in thanking, honoring, and celebrating the positive impact of our nursing faculty, students, alumni and partners alongside of the American Nurses Association that names this year’s National Nurses Week “You Make a Difference.” What should you do? Support nurses and nurse organizations. Encourage news outlets to seek out nurses as experts in healthcare. Advocate for adequate worker protections and safety measures. Call on elected officials to make policy that supports the health of our communities. Thank the nurse who held you during labor, who tracks your child’s immunization needs, who expertly assessed you in an ER, who helped a family member exit this life feeling cared for, who developed the care pathways that guide chemotherapy, who support the health of our communities, who write laws, who shared a laugh with you during a difficult moment. Nurses make a difference, and you make a difference for Nurses.

Shari L. Dworkin, Ph.D. M.S. Professor and Dean, School of Nursing and Health Studies

Meghan Eagen-Torkko, Ph.D., CNM, ARNP, FACNM, Associate Professor and Director of Nursing Programs

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Daysi gave us the opportunity to learn more about why she chose Nursing and what inspires her.

Why did you choose 56�Թ��� Bothell?

I’ve heard that 56�Թ��� is rated #2 for its undergraduate nursing program in the nation! I wanted to choose a University I knew I was going to get top notch education, holding up to its high educational standards.

Why did you choose Nursing? What/who inspired you to choose Nursing? What/who inspires you now?

At the lowest point in my life, where I had no idea how to raise a child and was without any family support. I met an inspirational nurse that taught me how to prepare for motherhood. This education was so meaningful and impactful to my life that now I want to inspire others, through teachings and education so they too as well have an opportunity to live better lives.

What are your plans after graduation?

I hunger for more knowledge, and after graduation I would like to continue furthering my education and complete my Master’s degree in Science of Nursing. I am a strong believer that with knowledge comes power, with power you can help more people.

Why is supporting the health of diverse communities important?

We are living in a time where health is deteriorating fast related to the pandemic, and all of its negative outcomes drag along with it. Communities need leaders with knowledge, and me being a Nurse in a professional practice can be of help to this community by being anything they need me to be to get them through difficult moments in life.

How do you support the health of diverse communities?

I currently work as a District nurse and I am in constant communication with families about their student health needs, or even just a resource for any questions or concerns they may have. I am their voice for their children and the bridge for better communication between families and school staff personnel.

Of your accomplishments work-wise, which are you most proud of and why?

I am most proud of being able to utilize my spanish speaking abilities and communicate with families, about any questions or concerns they may have. Communication in a school setting is the biggest barrier and being able to help throughout this process is very rewarding.

How do you spend your time outside of school/work?

I am a mother of a 4th grader, and a 7month old puppy, most of my time is spent living with them and being part of their growth. I also tend to squeeze in time for myself and dedicate any free time to exercising and/or catching up with old childhood friends.

What else would you like to share with our readers?

To want a change, is to embrace a challenge, the challenge is where every day you work to do better than what you accomplished yesterday. Self growth is power.

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Why do you give to the school?

56�Թ���B gave me an exceptional nursing education along with facilitating a life-changing experience. With my professor, Dr. Mabel Ezeonwu and a group of Nursing and Health Studies students I traveled to Togo in West Africa. There I was able to observe, experience and participate in a healthcare system far different than ours in the US. That experience was largely funded by an alumni scholarship. I want other students to have those important experiences.

When you give to us, what is your hope and expectation of your gift?

I hope my gift will enable more students to afford tuition and have inspirational educational experiences. I wish all people had the opportunity to experience a great higher education.

Have you always been philanthropic?

I think so. When I was young I was the recipient of philanthropy from the Lions Club who sponsored our Scouts troop. Scouts also helped me understand the power of my giving. My Eagle Scout project involved facilitating a wilderness adventure for a group of children from the city. I don’t know if those kids remember the experience but I remember with fondness. Now as a 48 year-old I look back with pride at the contributions of time and money I’ve made over my life.

Do you give to other causes?

My wife and I make monthly contributions to local and national nursing advocacy, to international medical work, to a local shelter for homeless women and children, to local and national animal welfare advocates and caregivers, to advocates for civil liberties, to independent journalism, to NPR and PBS and to our alma maters. I often encounter other worthy causes. I wish I could give more.

Do you think it is important for alumni to give back to their programs and why?

I have enjoyed success in my career because of the contributions of those who came before me. I want to contribute toward the development of future classes. At the end of my career I want to be proud to pass the baton to the next generation of nurses who will take my place in caring for those in need.

Do we make it easy to give?

Yes. I prefer the option of giving monthly on a credit card. I think of philanthropic giving the way I think of my 401K contributions, giving regularly adds up.

Is there anything else you’d like to share pertaining to your giving and/or the school?

56�Թ���B has a beautiful campus but it’s the teaching that made my educational experience great. I want to support continued great teaching.

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We caught up with Elizabeth and asked a few questions about her student experience.

Please tell us about yourself and your academic journey.

My first major was in psychology. After realizing I wanted to be an RN, I went to school for my ADN and worked as an NAC at the same time. I have worked for 2.5 years at Swedish and am excited to wrap up this part of my journey to becoming an NP!

Did you have a particularly memorable course? What did you like about it?

I really enjoyed BHLTH 497: Community and Generational Healing Through Birth Art & Story; I found this class to be informational and fun at the same time!

Please tell us about your fieldwork experience.

I am currently working on a project that is connected to the Edmonds Senior Center. Community work is my favorite part of this program, and learning about community nursing has been enlightening and made me rethink my future nursing trajectory.

Is there anything else you would like to share with us?

I am grateful for this program and the experiences I have had in my clinicals.

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Describe your new position – how does it help SNHS deliver on its mission?

The Fieldwork Program Manager position builds and maintains relationships with health care and community health organizations, while also understanding the interests and needs of the students who will be participating in fieldwork. As a result of requiring fieldwork to graduate, developing, collaborating with and matching fieldwork opportunities among students and community partners is a crucial part of helping SNHS deliver on its mission “to advance social justice, health, and nursing practice through innovative pedagogy, research and community engagement”.

What’s it like returning to your alma mater for work?

Returning to work at 56�Թ���B has been a pleasure. Reconnecting with the beautiful campus, wonderful SNHS faculty/staff, and returning full circle to engage with students is quite fulfilling. In addition to working with the team and students, developing relationships with community partners as part of my work allows for collaboration, growth and boundless opportunity. All in all, once a Husky, always a Husky! Go Dawgs!

What are some things that excite you about the coming year?

The collaboration among students and partners, in addition to opportunity to build new fieldwork processes excites me about the coming year. I also look forward to connecting with the SNHS team and students across campus!

If I have an idea for a student project, how should I connect with Sukhaman? What should I expect?

56�Թ���B MN Fieldwork (On the left side navigation of the MN landing page), folks can submit an Online Request Form to share a fieldwork opportunity for a MN student. Please also feel free to reach out to Sukhaman via email at skaurg@uw.edu. I am happy to connect in person or via Zoom as well.

What are some of the projects students are working on in the coming year?

An opportunity related to resiliency as it relates to COVID-19 and the Future of Nursing 2030 which also includes an aspect of pandemic preparedness. Explore where the WA workforce is with regards to pandemic preparedness and lessons learned to improve nurse resiliency moving forward.

Examining the influence of nursing mentorship on nurse leaders, centered around design and implementation of an ambulatory nurse leader mentorship cohort program.

Curriculum Development, reflect new lessons in a post COVID world, addition to social justice as a nurse. The course is Nursing Foundations, unique opportunity to hardwire crucial lessons.

Evaluation of leadership & nursing theory threaded through the curriculum. Evaluation of current use of grading rubrics, suggestions for improvements. Evaluation of curriculum in terms of content/process regarding cultural competence, cultural humility and DEI.

Quality Improvement project at the 56�Թ���MC Translational Research Unit

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Shervin Churchill, 5/11/2021

Well before the start of the Autumn 2020 quarter, in August, the wheels were set in motion, to start a process that would culminate in incredible learning, enrichment, intellectual productivity and creativity. For one cohort of students enrolled in the consecutive courses BNURS 360 and BNURS 460, it was that August day, when Dr. Linda Eaton first contacted potential community partners to work with our students to solve real-world problems in nursing and health care. Six community partners, from various health care organizations in the region, accepted to guide and mentor our students through Autumn 2020 and Winter 2021 quarters.

The community partners met with students in the Autumn quarter, in BNURS 360, to explore an area of inquiry where students could engage in finding reliable research evidence to support a practice change. This practice change would have to be evidence-based and deemed as having the potential to improve health outcomes in a particular population. Students along with their community partners started with proposing a well-designed research question, where they could then look for reliable evidence as a foundation for the proposed practice change.

Throughout the Autumn quarter, in BNURS 360, taught by Dr. Linda Eaton, students learned and practiced sifting through the evidence to find the most reliable and trustworthy peer-reviewed publications to support their cause. In the Winter quarter, in BNURS 460, (taught by the author, SC) students continued meeting with their community mentors, refined and finalized their questions and began to synthesize the research evidence they had found, to make recommendations to their community partners. This endeavor also included a model of evidence-based practice to implement the change.

For one group of students, Nicole Arayata, Emma Kang, Elvina Kylyukh, Andrea Monroe, and Nina Oleta*, and their community mentor, Amy Anderson**, the important question was whether a virtual platform, compared to a traditional in-person, program of preventing falls in community-dwelling older adults, would help reduce the rate of falls in this population. This is an important question because according to the CDC falls in the elderly lead to 32,000 deaths annually (2020,) the primary cause of accidental deaths in people over the age of 65 years (Zeeh, 2017.) It is estimated that annually $50 billion is spent on medical treatment costs related to non-fatal fall injuries, and $750+ million is spent on fatal falls (CDC, 2020.)

A virtual program would have many advantages like eliminating travel time and reducing health care expenses in multiple ways. The evidence that our students found, while needing more research, was promising and compelling enough for their community mentor, Amy Anderson, to invite the group of students to present their fndings at the Washington State Department of Health’s meeting in June 2021.

Our nursing students shared their insights during this process: “In my 10 years of nursing practice, I have cared for countless patients after a fall and fracture. These are usually catastrophic, expensive and may involve a different level of care after a long recovery,” wrote Andrea Monroe; speaking from the heart, when she could weave in her own work experience with the project she was working on. Elvina Kylyukh also spoke to the benefits this undertaking could impart to elderly patients: “It is very beneficial as not coming into the clinic prevents the spread of illnesses and keeps those who have weaker immune systems, such as the elderly, from getting sick.”

Other students wrote about their enhanced ability to encourage practice change, making room for better health outcomes: “Before taking this course, I was not sure how I could make policy/practice change in the workplace. I honestly did not know I was capable of doing evidence-based research, writing a research paper of my findings, and reaching out to stakeholders to make that practice change,” wrote Nicole Arayata. She continues, “I have grown exponentially in appraising and using knowledge on how to make practice change.” Emma Kang wrote: “Throughout my career I plan to make an effort to be aware of opportunities for improvement in my own professional practice as well as policies in the hospitals I’m working for, and to use research methods to identify specific strategies for improvement and to present the evidence behind them.” Nina Oleta shared: “I never realized exactly how much work went with making a practice change that could potentially be a change not just for one unit on the hospital but for hospitals or different types of healthcare facilities all over the country…, it’s having the research to back up that idea, having the resources to implement it, and having the data to support that the idea or intervention is successful in order to permanently be implemented into practice.”

This model of engaging community partners to work with our students over two quarters, across two academic courses, has been wonderfully productive, and has been appreciated by many students and community mentors alike. Community partners have appreciated working with our students and mentoring them and have gained the information which can potentially serve as evidence used by their organizations to improve health care. Our students have greatly benefited from the expertise and insights of community partners who bring a wealth of real-world experience and in-depth knowledge of the needs of the community.

* Student names are in alphabetical order. All students contributed to the investigation.

** Amy Anderson, MN, BSN, CNS, Director, Safety and Quality, Washington State Hospital Association

References

Centers for Disease Control (CDC) 2020. Otago exercise program. https://www.cdc.gov/homeandrecreationalsafety/pdf/falls/CDC_Falls_Compendium-2015-a.pdf#nameddest=single-interventions-exercise

Zeeh J, Reinhardt Y, Heppner HJ. Stürze im Alter [Falls in elderly people]. MMW Fortschr Med. 2017 Jul;159(13):52-58. German. doi: 10.1007/s15006-017-9589-2. PMID: 28718157.

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