May 3, 2006
Different paths lead to nursing
May 6-12, 2006 is National Nurses' Week
"I feel very fortunate that I was able to
make a change at a point in my life when many people would like
to make changes, but are unable to," said Registered Nurse
Steve Standerford.
An insurance agent for 20 years, Standerford is one of a number
of nurses who have left their former occupations and chosen to
become nurses. Others, like Katie Brewster of Houghton, and Joseph
Muehlhaus of Escanaba, have had careers as diverse as special
education and parking cars.
Marquette General is honoring its nursing staff during National
Nurses' Week May 6-12, and spotlighting those who have come into
the nursing profession from a variety of different backgrounds.
Registered Nurse Katie Brewster had been a special education teacher
for three years when she decided to return to school, completing
her RN degree from Creighton University on Omaha, Nebraska, in
2005. She moved to the Upper Peninsula and accepted a position
in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Marquette General
when her husband, Brian, accepted an athletic trainer position
at Michigan Tech.
Brewster said that despite the commute from Houghton to Marquette,
her pursuit of nursing was the greatest decision she's ever made.
Her experience in special education with students who have Down's
syndrome has given her a perspective she's able to share with
new parents of these special children.
"I can give parents a view of the future and the things they
can expect," Brewster said. "Each of these children's
lives holds different paths and different possibilities."
Brewster would encourage anyone interested in nursing to arrange
for job shadowing to learn about the opportunities and options
open in the profession.
Escanaba native Joseph Muehlhaus had been parking cars in Milwaukee
for 13 years, and was the single father of a six-year-old daughter.
In 1983, he had been in recovery from alcohol addiction for three
years, and was ready for an upturn in his life. Then his father,
Hans Muehlhaus, called and asked if Joe wanted to come home to
Escanaba and go to school.
"My whole life had fallen apart," Muehlhaus said. "When
you're recovering from alcohol addiction, you have to make a break
from the past, the people, the social situations, the environment."
He was accepted into the nursing curriculum at Bay College in
1985. Once Bay College accepted him, Muehlhaus said, doors started
to open.
"They didn't have many men apply (for nursing school) then.
I had scholarships, and that paid for my whole education. God
just opened the doors for me," he said.
While living with his parents, who cared for his daughter while
he studied, Muehlhaus hit the books. When he transferred to Lake
Superior State University in Sault Ste. Marie for the final year
of his training, he was named "Outstanding Returning Student"
before earning his BSN degree in 1990.
Today, with more than 25 years of sobriety to his credit, Muehlhaus
is now a registered nurse in the Escanaba office of Marquette
General Home Health and Hospice, where he enjoys using the full
range of his nursing skills. Having struggled and worked hard
for his achievements, he has an all-encompassing sense of gratitude
for each day.
"It's the little things you do every day that count,"
he said.
For MGH psychiatric nurse Steve Standerford, the concept of struggle
is something he sees in his patients on a regular basis. His favorite
aspect of nursing is working one-to-one with patients to help
them manage their challenges.
"The joy and satisfaction you see when you can discharge
your patient back to their home community is hard to describe,"
he said. " It's gratifying to see how much they've improved
in our care."
Standerford came to Marquette in 1992 from Marshall, Michigan
when his wife, Suzanne, accepted a professorship on the faculty
at NMU. Having been only 20 credits short of graduating from Purdue,
he decided to finish his bachelor's in nursing, which was a field
that had always appealed to him. He completed an associate's degree
as a Surgical Technician from NMU before earning his bachelor's
in nursing in 1997.
Kathleen Thompson PhD, professor of nursing at NMU, noted that
there are many options at NMU for students interested in nursing
careers.
“With the nationwide nursing shortage, higher education
has been very creative in providing nursing education opportunities,"
Thompson said. "Northern has several options open to students
interested in a career in nursing, either as a licensed practical
nurse (LPN) or as a registered nurse (RN)."
A recent grant awarded to NMU and Marquette General is providing
funding to expand educational opportunities. A component of the
grant project is an accelerated program for students who have
a degree in something other than nursing.
Karen MacLachlan, assisant administrator of nursing and patient
care at Marquette General said, "The grant provides an opportunity
for individuals who want to switch their career direction. It
also gives us an opportunity to test a new method of training
with an increased focus on clinical applications.
"Nursing is an excellent career choice with a positive outlook,"
MacLachlan said. "There is always a need for nurses and the
demand will continue to grow as the population ages."
For nurses interested in careers at Marquette General, visit www.mgh.org
to submit an online employment application.
Additional information on nursing careers can be found at the
American Association of Colleges of Nursing online at www.aacn.nche.edu.
