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May 07, 2007
Nursing diversity celebrated during National Nurses Week
National Nurses Week May 6-12
By Robin Waters, RN
Nurse Manager of the Neuro/ortho unit at Marquette General Hospital
Registered Nurse Mary Ann Smithson is also known as Chief Turtle Woman. She is a full-blooded Mohawk Indian born on Six Nations, an Iroquois confederacy in Canada.
Registered Nurse Mary Ann Smithson, right, uses Native American traditions in her nursing practice at Marquette General Hospital. Also pictured clockwise from center front are Moon Roche RN, Tammy Grandlund RN, and Pete Lake RN.
Six Nations is a matriarchal society in which women are the leaders, the keepers of history, and teachers of the next generation; roles that Mary Ann has assumed in her nursing practice within the hospital.
Mary Ann has been a nurse at Marquette General for more than 21 years, and currently works with behavioral health and addiction patients. She has held many jobs in her lifetime, and graduated from nursing school at age 38. Health issues within her family guided her into nursing.
“Marquette General has been very receptive to Native American culture and care,” said Mary Ann. “Native Americans use four primary medicines: sage, tobacco, sweet grass and cedar.”
According to Mary Ann, sage is used in the smudging ceremony to cleanse the environment. She recounts the story of a young woman who was restless and inconsolable.
“I asked her if she would like me to perform a smudging, and she agreed,” said Mary Ann. “She lay down on her bed, closed her eyes and told me it reminded her of her Grandmother’s house. Within minutes she was asleep.”
Sweet grass is burned to promote relaxation and purify the environment. Tobacco is less common within the hospital and is used in a smoke ceremony, through a pipe. Cedar is used in sweat lodges and is particularly effective for women. She recommends that women place a small piece of cedar in their shoe to make their day go better.
Her advice for practitioners: “Nurses should remember the mind and body are connected.”
For many years Mary Ann has attended a native women’s gathering on Mackinac Island. The gathering keeps her connected with the traditions of her heritage.
“We have about thirty women who join us from all over the country,” she said. “We have talking circles, do beadwork and have a sunrise ceremony at Arch Rock.”
Karen MacLachlan, Assistant Administrator for Patient Care Services adds, “Mary Ann has been an excellent resource for providing cultural care and addressing Native American needs throughout the hospital.”
Although nursing is a career traditionally dominated by women, male nurses are drawn to the profession for the same reasons cited by their female counterparts: the desire to help others and an excellent job market for nurses.
Registered Nurse Kent Bishop has worked in many female-dominated jobs, including cashier, and communications in the Army. He was a respiratory therapist for 12 years and then pursued nursing as a second career because he wanted more patient interaction.
Bishop has been at Marquette General for the past five years and loves critical care.
“It’s the hardest job you’ll ever love,” he said. “I have had no problems being a male nurse. We all have good relationships on our unit, and we take care of each another as well as our patients.”
Licensed Practical Nurse Ken Wills has twenty years of experience in nursing and finds critical care nursing to be a satisfying choice.
“I entered the field because I wanted to help and care for sick people,” Wills said. “Intensive Care is extremely challenging, but the care is very holistic. Another important aspect of care is the relationships we develop with the family members.”
For Registered Nurse Scott Loukinen, his family had a significant impact on his decision to pursue a nursing career. Both his mother and sister are in the medical field.
“Nursing is a profession with so many career opportunities,” Loukinen said. “ICU is an exciting place to work, the pace is fast, and my role here is essential to patient outcomes.
“I’ve had additional training in Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) and completed the Trauma Nurse Core Curriculum (TNCC). Working in ICU has opened many doors,” Loukinen said.
According to Marquette General Human Resources Employment Manager Dan DeRosia, who is also a registered nurse, the total number of male RNs at MGH continues to rise. In the first quarter of 2007 there were 46 male registered nurses comprising 10.9% of the RN workforce at Marquette General. The most recent statewide statistics from the Michigan Center for Nursing reported the statewide 2006 male nursing work force at eight percent for RNs and six percent for LPNs.
Eleven percent of Registered Nurses at Marquette General are men, compared to the 2006 statewide average of eight percent. Among the men who staff ICU at Marquette General are, from left to right, Scott Loukinen RN, Randy Johnson RN, Kent Bishop RN, and Ken Wills LPN.
The changing role of nurses is illustrated in the lifetime career of veteran nurse Marilee Davison, who recently worked her last shift at Marquette General after a total of 41 years in the profession. Since her 1963 graduation from St. Luke’s School of Nursing her entire career has been at the bedside.
“I always wanted to be a nurse, even when I was little,” Marilee said. “I used to pretend that I was giving my brother medication, but I would use M&Ms.”
Marilee Davison paused on the last day of her 41 years in nursing at Marquette General Hospital to reflect on the changes she has seen in the profession.
She started nursing school at St. Luke’s after high school, and even though she lived within walking distance of home, she was only able to go home and spend an overnight once a month.
“Nursing school was strict,” Marilee said. “We had a housemother who made sure we studied from seven to nine at night, and were in by midnight.
“Once a week your room was inspected for cleanliness and neatness, and the housemother would always leave you a note if it wasn’t to her liking,” she said. “Each year you moved up one floor, and by the time you reached the third year you were in great shape because the housemother didn’t make the trip up three flights very often.”
At the beginning of Marilee’s nursing career, nurses were expected to make rounds with the doctors. Patient care supplies were all made of metal and glass, and everything was sterilized and reused. Even needles were sent to Central Supply for sterilization and sharpening.
“Starting an IV was a difficult proposition,” Marilee said, “because an actual needle was inserted. Patients’ arms were secured on an arm board . . .have you ever tried to move your arm after it was immobilized for 48 hours?”
Significantly different from today’s practice environment, there were no medication references available to nurses on the floors. Marilee laughs as she tells the story about administering Metamucil when it entered the market.
“There were no mixing instructions,” she said. “The directions said give one teaspoon, so I handed the patient a teaspoon of the powder.”
Marilee is most astounded about the current use of equipment and technology in nursing.
“I didn’t see that in the future,” she said. “When I started practicing, we used our eyes, ears, nose and hands.”
On April 27th, Marilee worked her last shift as a staff nurse. She admits that emerging technologies helped her make the decision to retire.
“It was a difficult decision to leave the job I am passionate about,” she said. “I have no regrets about choosing to be a nurse. The patients I cared for made me a stronger and a more motivated person.
“If you think life is treating you poorly and you go to work and interact with a patient who has to overcome what seems to be insurmountable health or physical problems, it changes your perspective,” Marilee said. “It makes you believe in the human spirit and that is the most valuable lesson of all.”
During National Nurses Week May 6-12, Marquette General is celebrating the contribution, commitment and diversity of its nursing staff. There are nurses in 73 departments within the health system caring for the needs of 12,000 hospitalized patients and more than 300,000 outpatient visits per year.
Diversity in the workplace is represented by variables that make each employee unique. The result is a richer environment that creates better patient care and better patient outcomes. Diversity can include (among other things) age, education, gender, country of origin, faith tradition, ethnicity or language.
Nursing staff facts at Marquette General:
· Registered nurses total more than 400 men and women
· Depth of nursing experience equates to 4,130 years.
· Sixty percent of the RNs at Marquette General have Bachelors Degrees
· Two percent of RNs are Masters prepared
· Eleven percent of MGHS RNs are men. The Michigan Center for Nursing reported a statewide actively practicing male RN workforce of eight percent in 2006
· Almost 50 percent of MGHS staff RNs are between the ages of 41 and 55
· Two percent of the RNs represent Asian, African American, Hispanic or Native American ethnic backgrounds
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