Nurses Week 2019

COMMITTED COMPASSIONATE CARING

Celebrating National Nurses Week 2019

2 — Missoulian, Sunday, May 12, 2019

Nurses: The Heart of Health Care

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o celebrate National Nurses Week, The Missoulian and Ravalli Republic called on our community to nominate nurses that exemplify outstanding care, skill and passion to be awarded as Western Montana Nurses of the Year for 2019. We asked a panel of independent judges to select nine honorees from an impressive field of 82 wonderful nurses. Linda Barnes, nursing program director and assistant professor at Missoula College; Marcy Hanson, assistant

campus director for Missoula at Montana State University’s nursing program; and Nancy Delger, a retired RN with extensive western Montana health care experience. The judges combed through the nominations to select their top picks.

Our Reader’s Choice selection was then selected through our online voting system.

All 10 nurses were honored at an event on May 7 attended by the nurses, their co-workers, families and community members. Each nurse received a certificate, flowers and a gift card to a local business.

Nurses: advocates, leaders, compassionate caregivers

“N

ursing has really evolved, especially in the last 10-20 years,” Linda Barnes told the Missoulian.

Barnes, nursing program director and assistant professor at Missoula College, noted that the profession has changed as society has and as the focus has become caring for the entire patient. Nurses are educators as well, she noted. They teach patients and families how to care for themselves in addition to educating them about their disease process.

“Nurses are advocates for patients and families,” Barnes commented.

In choosing students for her program, getting to know them is key. Barnes noted that the fire and compassion you see from a great candidate in an interview is something you wouldn’t see

in a paper application. Compassion is an important aspect of the profession, with nurses spending more time with patients than most other members of the care team.

Critical thinking and problem solving skills are also crucial to success in the profession.

“Nurses are constantly solving problems,” Barnes said.

Great nurses also have strong leadership qualities. The shifts nurses work are often stressful, with long hours, few breaks if any and careful juggling of duties to ensure all patients get the best care possible.

“Patients are way sicker than they used to be,” Barnes said. Many of the illnesses nurses deal with now are very complex, she elaborated. She added that

it can be very difficult to care for numerous patients at once.

Nurses are resourceful, though, “and we’ll figure out a way,” she said.

Nationwide, a shortage of nurses are coming from both an increase in aging population and nurses retiring at a high rate. Barnes noted that challenges with the number of students allowed at clinical sites mean they cannot take every student who applies to the program.

Some schools turn down as many as 80% of their applicants, she pointed out.

There are people who would be great nurses, but cannot get into programs and thus the industry as a whole has a challenge increasing ranks to care for the aging baby boomer population as well as replacing retiring nurses at the rate they are being lost, Barnes said.

By 2030, Montana is projected to have a demand for more than 12,000 nurses, according to a US Health Resources and Services Administration report from July 2017.

Payscale.com estimates the average hourly pay for a registered nurse in Montana at $26.72.

But pay isn’t what motivates most nurses.

“Taking care of people is so rewarding,” Barnes said. The job is never dull, with ever more to learn and do. The job also offers mobility to move up to positions with less physical difficulty for a profession that is almost always on its feet and higher paying positions too. The job itself doesn’t get old.

“It’s the best job I’ve ever had in my life,” Barnes mused.

Nurses: The Heart of Health Care — 3

KATIE PIERCE

THANK YOU NURSES FOR YOUR DEDICATION AND COMMITMENT TO YOUR PATIENTS, COLLEAGUES, COMMUNITY AND PROFESSION. During Nurses Week and throughout the year, we are proud to celebrate our nurses for their compassion and dedication. Every day, nurses step forward to care for patients, serve the community, embrace new technologies and accept ever-changing roles in their profession. Thank you, for all you do.

K

atie Pierce wants to make one thing clear: This award reflects the work of all of her nursing colleagues on Providence St. Patrick Hospital’s Missoula Infusion Center team.

She — and they — were nominated

by Terry Rosin, who was diagnosed five years ago with Hodgkin’s lymphoma and underwent more than a year of chemotherapy on and off at the center.

“All of the nurses in the infusion center were supportive and encouraging during my treatment,’’ Rosin said. “They took extra time to ask how you were feeling and any problems that you were having with the past treatments. They were compassionate to not just me, but all of the cancer patients I observed getting treatments.

“You have to be a special person to be a cancer nurse, knowing that when you come to work you are going to see patients in their 20s and elderly patients who are suffering from some type of cancer.’’

When thinking of this “wonderful group of nurses,’’ Rosin said he’s reminded of a quote from Val Saintsbury: “Nurses dispense comfort, compassion, and caring without even a prescription.’’

Pierce said she chose to work with

cancer patients because family members have been affected by the disease.

“When I was a freshman in high school, my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer,’’ she said. “I recall going to chemo treatments with her and the nurses going out of their way to care for her. They made each visit personal by asking about her family, interests, and life outside of cancer. They treated her like family.

“This is what I love about oncology — developing lasting relationships with patients and their families while helping them through difficult times. It’s not uncommon for our patients to come back several years after finishing treatments, just to say hello.’’

Pierce, who lives in Missoula with her husband, son, 5, and daughter, 3, discovered nursing at Minot State University in Minot, North Dakota, where she had transferred as a sophomore to be with her future husband, a football player there.

She started her nursing career in 2007 at the University of Iowa Hospitals as a pediatric hematology/oncology nurse.

“I loved caring for pediatric cancer patients, but wanted to be closer to home,” so she returned to Missoula and St. Pat’s.

CELEBRATING NATIONAL

Compassion, care from cancer nurses at St. Pat’s

NURSES WEEK montana.providence.org

G4 — Missoulian, Sunday, May 12, 2019

SARAH ROHDE

Positive attitude shines through nurse’s work W

hen asked to describe her co-worker Sarah Rohde at Village Health & Rehabilitation, the description was elegantly simple: “Sarah, she’s a wonder.’’

It’s no wonder what makes her so good.

“Nursing can be challenging in a lot of ways, but my goal is to try to help someone feel a little better each day, or give (patients) something to look forward to,’’ said the 1997 Montana State University nursing graduate.

Rohde began her career with Nightingale Nursing, where she worked with clients young and old in home health assignments around the region. “I learned a lot about myself and people in this time with home health,’’ she said.

“I learned I could adapt to a variety of situations and think on my feet when needed.’’

She took a break from nursing from 2002 to 2009 after she married Andy Rohde and they had three children, a girl and two boys. Her family, her parents, and her two sisters and their families all call Missoula home.

Rohde said she wasn’t specifically looking to go into geriatric nursing when she re-entered the workforce, but has come to love it. “When I arrived at the Village, I found a strong team of nurses and a great place for me to learn a lot and further my nursing career,’’ she said.

Nursing can be challenging in a lot of ways, but my goal is to try to help someone feel a little better each day, or give (patients) something to look forward to.

But in addition to learning, she’s also teaching. “Sarah incessantly coaches and leads by example,’’ said co-worker Dee Strauss, who nominated Rohde.

As subacute unit manager, Rohde oversees a 56-bed unit and assists every rehab resident through the admission process.

“Sarah works tirelessly to find solutions to the challenges of our residents,’’ Strauss said. “She can be found hunting down a specialty air mattress or setting up a trapeze bar.’’ She even personally delivered medicine to the Bitterroot home of a patient who had to leave before his prescriptions were filled.

Rohde’s colleagues cite her “cando attitude’’ and say she is always positive, makes residents and their families feel at ease and is “open to accepting whatever the day might bring.’’

Added Annie Waylett, director of social services: “Sarah doesn’t get rattled — ever.’’

Hot Springs Health and Rehab would like to thank our nurses for the hard work and dedication provided to our patients.

SKILLED NURSING, REHABILITATION THERAPY, MEMORY SUPPORT, RESPITE STAYS, HOSPICE SERVICES, SUPPLEMENTARY CARE OPTIONS

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THANK YOU to our wonderful nurses for providing unparalleled service each and every day.

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6 — Missoulian, Sunday, May 12, 2019

MARY PAT HANSEN Nurse Hansen provides first step toward healing

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or victims of sexual assault, Mary Pat Hansen is often the first step toward healing.

“At a time when I felt my most dirty, vulnerable and threatened, Mary Pat calmed me, supported me and even made me smile and laugh,’’ said her nominator, Hillary Bard. “After being sexually assaulted, I went to First Step Resource Center for a ‘rape kit.’ Mary Pat was nothing short of a super hero.

“From answering the check-list of questions — having to remember specifics of everything horrible that happened — to the physical exam …

Mary Pat was the best person I could have asked for.’’

Hansen grew up in Wisconsin and went to Yale University, which allowed her to get her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nursing and become a nurse practitioner in three years.

She moved to Missoula with her husband and child in 2005, so he could attend graduate school at the University of Montana.

She said she was drawn to First Step, which opened in 2000 to see children and adults who’ve suffered sexual abuse, “because it was a work setting in health care where we have the time to provide holistic health care.’’

She is currently the clinical supervisor, running day-to-day operations, supervising staff and training nurses across Montana to become Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners.

At First Step, Hansen said, “we aren’t rushing through our patient

We aren’t rushing through our patient evaluations. We are following their lead in what care to provide and how fast to move through our time together. We are able to address physical, emotional and spiritual needs of our clients. evaluations. We are following their lead in what care to provide and how fast to move through our time together. We are able to address physical, emotional and spiritual needs of our clients.’’

Based at Providence St. Patrick Hospital, First Step works closely with law enforcement, prosecutors, mental health professionals, child protection advocates and others to respond to sexual assault and abuse with an eye toward lessening the trauma of assault and taking a “first step” toward healing.

Bard, who is preparing to leave Missoula, said Hansen stuck with her through her years-long “battle for justice.’’

“I’ll always continue to heal; being a survivor is an ongoing journey,’’ Bard said. “Who knows how my journey would have (gone) if it wasn’t for Mary Pat’s generous kindness and love.’’

Polson Health and Rehab would like to thank our nurses for the hard work and dedication provided to our patients.

Mary, RN Ronelle, RN Mandi, RN Sheila, RN Lori, LPN Charles, LPN

Mark, LPN Jennifer, RN Sandra, LPN Cindy, LPN Ryland, RN Doris, RN

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Nine 14th Avenue West, Polson, MT 59860 Tel: (406) 883-4378

Nurses: The Heart of Health Care — 7

‘A quiet, soft-spoken angel’

NANCY MYERS

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hey call her “Nurse Nancy’’ or, alternatively, “a quiet, soft-spoken angel,’’ “the most gentle, caring, giving loving nurse on the planet’’ and “the heart of our healthcare.’’

Nancy Myers has left an impression in her 20 years at Mineral Community Hospital, where she works as a staff nurse covering the hospital and emergency department, manages the operating room and circulates in surgery and the endoscopy department.

It’s where she met Diane Magone, who nominated her after Magone’s father went into heart failure while being treated there a few years ago.

“I called for help and Nurse Nancy came flying into his room, hooked him up to the necessary machine and revived him. Afterwards, she put her

arms around me and said, ‘You need a hug.’ I will never forget that moment of loving compassion. That was the best hug I ever had.’’

It’s also where she met Mitzi Francis, who was a patient at Mineral Community seven years ago. She was quite ill and spent six days in the hospital, where “Nurse Nancy’’ stood out. “She held my hand as I lay in the hospital bed crying from the pain,’’ Francis said. “She made sure that I was treated like family.’’

Francis now works as an executive assistant at Mineral Community. “And it’s all because of Nancy and the care she provided me. I was treated like family as a patient and I wanted to be part of that family.’’

Myers loves Montana, where her two grown sons, James and

Brian, live. But it took a bit of getting used to. She moved to Superior the first week of October 1997 and went into the hardware store in long underwear, a turtleneck, a sweatshirt and jacket, only to hear the store owner talking about what a nice Indian summer it was.

The California native, who got her nursing degree from Victor Valley College in 1984, and spent time in Lake Havasu, Arizona, has adjusted to the winters and also to working at a rural hospital after doing public health, maternity and medical/surgical stints in Arizona and California.

“Rural nursing, I feel, is a specialty in itself,’’ she said.

“Working in a rural hospital has been the most challenging and rewarding job I’ve ever had.’’

‘They become your family’

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spen Aldridge grew up in Missoula, fell in love here and continues to fall in love, each day, with the patients she cares for in the Partners In Home Care hospice program.

“As you can imagine,’’ says her nominator and mother, Nancy Zimmerman, “it can be very heart-wrenching on a daily basis.’’

Yet, she says, “Aspen has the most positive stories of all the people’’ that she cares for at the end of their lives.

Aldridge got her nursing degree from Montana State University but has practiced in Missoula, where she was born and raised.

“I am married to a very sweet, supportive man who actually helped me see that hospice was an area that would fulfill me in my

nursing career,’’ she said.

She said she always wanted to be a nurse, in part because it “feels natural to me to care for people.’’

“Having time to spend with my patients and building a relationship is why I got into nursing,’’ Aldridge said. “Unfortunately, not all nursing jobs allow that kind of time.’’

Hospice care is an exception, she said, and brings her joy on a daily basis.

“It’s an honor to be allowed into someone’s life at such a vulnerable time.

Life is a journey and death is a part of that,’’ Aldridge said. “It’s a very special thing to help someone (through) the last days, weeks, months or even years to meet their goals and to provide support and

companionship.’’

But she acknowledges that she pays a psychic price for the work. “I would be lying if I said this job didn’t break my heart on a regular basis.

You get close to people and their families. They become your family.

“But at the end of the day, I would much rather be part of my patient’s lives and hopefully be able to say that I helped in some way,’’ Aldridge said.

Aldridge said her work is made easier by “the most incredible team of nurses, social workers, aides and administrative staff’’’ at Partners.

She also makes time to hike, fish and travel with friends and her family, including two daughters, ages 9 and 6.

ASPEN ALDRIDGE

8 — Missoulian, Sunday, May 12, 2019

LINDA SIMON

More than booboos for school nurse Simon W

hen it comes to keeping the 9,200 students at Missoula County Public Schools healthy and safe, Linda Simon is the first line of defense.

She has championed protocols to deal with everything from concussions to allergies to air quality and head lice. This year, said nominators Julie Robitaille and Hatton Littman, she and her team of five nurses and two assistants created “Medical Grab and Go Bags’’ to make sure each school is prepared for medical emergencies.

Simon also plans to create a medical emergency team as part of every school’s building crisis team.

And, said Littman and Robitaille, she has secured both a grant and local funding to buy “Stop the Bleed’’ stations for all schools.

“All of these projects,’’ Simon’s nomination said, “are in addition to her daily work of coordinating nursing services across the district in all 17 schools. Her experience and expertise are unsurpassed.’’

Simon brings 40 years of nursing experience to her role as Health Service Supervisor for MCPS, which she joined in 1997.

She earned her nursing diploma at Wesley Passavant School of Nursing at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in downtown Chicago, working first in mental health at the University of Chicago.

She and her husband Phil moved

Her experience and expertise are unsurpassed.

Simon’s nominator to Missoula in 1982, where Simon worked at St. Patrick Hospital, initially on the medical unit and then in intensive care for the next decade.

Her work quickly became a family affair. First her husband enrolled in Montana State University’s College of Nursing. Now nephew Dennis, son Ryland and daughter Allison are all nurses, as well.

Ten years after joining MCPS as a nurse in elementary schools, earning honors as Montana School Nurse in 2005, Simon became the Health Services Supervisor for all nursing staff in the district.

She also has been an officer and board member for the Montana Association of School Nurses, a board member for the American Diabetes Association, first aid coordinator for the Montana Tour de Cure, a member of the Montana Kids with Diabetes Collaborative, a medical volunteer for 10 years at the ADA summer kid’s camp for 10 years, and has worked with the Board of Nursing to revise the nursing delegation rules.

Missoula Health and Rehab would like to thank our nurses for the hard work and dedication provided to our patients.

Rebecca, RDCO Christy, RN, DNS Samantha, LPN, ADON Bev, LPN, MDS Karen, RN Toni, RN

Elliot, LPN Cheryl, RN Doris, RN Robert, RN Ryland, RN Elena, RN

Margaret, LPN Marco, RN Shanna, RN

Skilled Nursing,Therapy, Wound Care, IV’s, and Assisted Living

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Nurses: The Heart of Health Care — 9

Love for her job, and her patients

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rittany Leatham-Olney’s resume is guaranteed to cause double takes. The acute care coordinator at Marcus Daly Memorial Hospital in Hamilton is 33 and has been a nurse for nearly 15 years.

No, that’s not a typo. Teachers in her hometown of Mesa, Arizona, realized that Leatham was bored with school and was starting to check out as a ninth-grader. So they helped her enroll in a trial program with Banner Health, a local health care system, that allowed students to take classes at a nearby nursing school during the fall, spring and summer while also attending high school. As a result, she got her nursing degree and high school diploma at the same time, cutting short her senior prom so she could go home and study

for a big test the next day.

“Through all of this my parents supported me,’’ she said. “A year after I graduated, my mother graduated as a nurse, then my father a few years later.’’ Both parents work as nurses for the Phoenix, Arizona, Veterans Administration.

Leatham-Olney’s career path took her first to the Arizona Burn Center, where she spent 10 years working on medical-surgical, telemetry and intensive care units, as well as the emergency room. She also worked as a nurse educator, developing a lifelong love of teaching.

She, her husband and their two daughters moved to the Bitterroot in July, joining her mother-in-law, who had come to Montana 10 years before. “We fell in love with

the Valley,’’ she said, and was drawn to Marcus Daly because “the leadership was so kind, the staff, so friendly.’’

A month after she arrived, she met Lynne Gilfillan, who nominated her. Gilfillan’s mother was hospitalized four times between August and November 2018. “Though scared and worried for Mom, I felt an overwhelming calm and assurance that she was in the best of care due to Brittany’s knowledge and exemplary nursing skills,’’ Gilfillan wrote.

Leatham-Olney made it possible for Gilfillan’s mother to die at home, surrounded by family.

“She exuded love for her job as a nurse but also as importantly, love for her patient,’’ Gilfillan said.

BRITTANY LEATHAM-OLNEY

CONGRATULATIONS Brittany M. Leatham-Olney, MSN-Ed RN Missoulian’s People’s Choice Winner Join us in congratulating Brittany and the other MDMH Nurse nominees: Heidi Baye, LPN Tammy Bruns, RN Jennifer Bush, BSN

Michelle Cornelison, RN Cary Robinson, RN

Todd Wohlman, MSN Randy Yeargan, BSN

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10 — Missoulian, Sunday, May 12, 2019

‘Hopelessly hopeful’

MARIAH HILL

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KURT WILSON, Missoulian

Mariah Hill (left) with Linnea Powell who is 38 weeks pregnant.

s a social worker, nurse and midwife, Mariah Hill has seen the challenges facing the vulnerable and voiceless, from families living with HIV/AIDS in Seattle to the poor on the streets of Calcutta to the homeless in Tijuana, Mexico.

Her experiences sealed her lifelong concern for those living on the margins of society and stoked her commitment to social justice. They also fueled more than a decade-long journey that resulted in her Doctor in Nurse Practice degree from the University of Washington in 2017 and the launch of her career as a nurse/midwife with Community Physician Group OB/GYN at Community Hospital in Missoula.

“I love taking care of women during pregnancy because it is a time of transformation in

their lives, a time when I find that most people are a little more open to change,’’ said the married mother of two.

“I have had so many stunning experiences that make me a firm believer that people will go much farther if we are willing to walk alongside them from the starting point of where they are instead of focusing on where we think they ought to be. … I am passionate about providing exceptional care to women, particularly those who are are vulnerable or have been marginalized in some way.’’

That passion was reflected in Grace Benasutti’s nomination for Hill, which recounted Hill’s extraordinary efforts to find a home for a woman who was two weeks away from giving birth and sleeping in her car.

“In an effort to avoid having this mom lose her child due to experiencing homelessness, Mariah connected with resources throughout town and went above and beyond to find shelter for this woman’’ and let her “bond with her newborn in a stable shelter program.’’

Hill said her desire to serve others is rooted in her Catholic faith. She draws on her experience as a social worker, child and family service worker, doula, mother, nurse and midwife to help her succeed.

“I believe in the dignity of every human being,’’ Hill said.

“I also believe in every person’s capacity to create change in her life, no matter how bleak it looks or how many barriers there are. I am hopelessly hopeful, and my patients keep me that way.’’

‘Nursing is my true calling’

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or home health care nurse Danielle Melcarek, nursing is more than a job. And that, say those who know her, is what makes her stand out.

“We were fortunate to have Danielle as my husband’s home health nurse for over six years until he died unexpectedly at the beginning of January,’’ said Candy Holt, who nominated Melcarek. “During this time, Danielle was our rock. She was attentive, caring, compassionate and knowledgeable as she helped both of us navigate Neil’s health challenges.

“Danielle answered every phone call, text and email message. She actively listened, made suggestions, thoroughly explained the pros and cons of the options and proactively enlisted assistants from other members of Neil’s medical

team,’’ Holt said. “ … Her confidence was contagious and provided welcomed reassurance as we navigated a journey through uncharted territory.’’

The path to nursing for Melcarek, a nurse case manager for Partners in Home Care in Missoula, began in the back of her mother’s van in Helena, where she would flip through her mom’s drug guides and study her anatomy book to learn about the human body.

“My mom is also a nurse in Helena, so I was lucky enough to have her help gently guide me into the field of nursing,’’ Melcarek said. “I have never been a squeamish person. … I also enjoy connecting with people. We all have struggles and in the end are very similar.’’

She graduated with a degree in nursing from Montana

State University in 2009 but said she was “lucky enough’’ to have studied on the Missoula campus, so has lived in Missoula since 2007.

She spent the first few years working in long-term care, then transitioned to the operating room and post-op nursing for a few years before moving to home health as a case manager. Along the way, she got married and now has an 18-month-old son.

“I have enjoyed the oneon-one time that home health allows with each patient, as well as learning more about complex disease management,’’ she said.

Her husband and son, she said are “my shining stars in what can sometimes be a hard and demanding career.’’

Yet she cannot imagine doing anything else. “Nursing is my true calling.’’

DANIELLE MELCAREK

Nurses: The Heart of Health Care — 11

Caring for the youngest with love Patti Doyle, who retired April 14 as a nurse in Community Hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, doesn’t know the precise number of the thousands of babies she’s cared for in her last 40 years.

But she does know she “never quit loving what I did.’’

Doyle was a senior member of Community’s neonatal transport team, traveling in Montana and Idaho by helicopter, airplane, or ground ambulance to bring infants to CMC for specialized intensive care.

She was also a neonatal intensive care unit charge nurse and worked 33 years in a follow-up clinic monitoring development of the NICU’s high-risk graduates until they turned 3. In the 1980s, she organized Community’s first NICU reunion, and continued to do so every five years.

In the NICU, where she took a position in 1979, “I found my niche.’’

“I loved the challenge of taking care of the tiniest most fragile patients. A lot of critical thinking is required. You obviously can’t ask the patient what’s going on. When infants get sick, they get sick fast. You have to learn to read what’s going on.”

Doyle got her nursing degree in 1973 from Montana State University-Northern in Havre, where she grew up. Later that year, she started at CMC, making $2.75 an hour, which included the night differential.

But she said the families she worked with taught her more than she ever learned in school.

“Every time you see that parent standing at the side of the isolette with a look of sheer terror in their eyes … it teaches you

empathy, it teaches you how to listen, it teaches you how to be their advocate.”

Both of Doyle’s daughters followed her into medicine; Carlyn is a pediatric nurse practitioner at Community, and the Haley is a family and women’s health nurse practitioner in Spokane.

Amelia Alford, who nominated Doyle, said she not only took great care of the baby she unexpectedly delivered early, she helped prepare her to take her baby home.

And that is the highest praise possible for Doyle.

“At the end of the day, I had to know I’d done the very best I could do … not just to take care of the infants, but to make sure the parents walked out the door with that precious little life; that they could take care of him or her better than any of us.”

PATTI DOYLE

KURT WILSON, Missoulian

Patti Doyle with Greyson, a baby she took care of for six weeks in NICU.

DURING NATIONAL NURSES’ WEEK

WE COMMEND ALL NURSES

To the nurses of Community Medical Center, we extend our gratitude for the excellent care you provide to every person, every day, from day one.

Congratulations to Patti Doyle and Mariah Hill for being nominated as one of Missoula’s best nurses.

Patti Doyle, RN NICU Community Children’s

Mariah Hill, DNP, CNM, ARNP Nurse Midwife Community Physician Group

12 — Missoulian, Sunday, May 12, 2019

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NURSE STEREOTYPES CHANGE

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hat we see on TV and in movies shapes our impressions about the occupations actors portray in film and on television. No less is true than the representationof nurses in popular media.

Perhaps among the most famous portrayals is that of Loretta Switt as Maj. Margaret Houlihan in the hit 1970s and ‘80s TV show “M*A*S*H.” Another is Louise Fletcher’s performance as Nurse Ratched in the 1975 film, “One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest.”

Both these portrayals underscore extreme stereotypes — “Hot Lips” Houlihan is a romantic/sexual interest of several characters at a surgical hospital during the Korean War and Ratched is presented as a cold-hearted tyrant at state mental hospital — but neither is representative of the real-life world of nurses.

Of course, these characters are presented for entertainment purposes but those images have real impact on viewers. In “Celluloid Angels: A Research Study of Nurses in Feature Films, 1900-2007,” author David Stanley, a nurse and lecturer at Australia’s Curtin University of Technology, reviewed more than a century of nurses as predominant characters in movies. He found that “Nurses and the nursing profession are frequently portrayed negatively or stereotypically in the media, with nurses often being portrayed as feminine and caring but not as leaders or professionals capable of autonomous practice.”

To combat these portrayals, the Baltimore-based group the Truth About Nursing seeks to challenge stereotypes and to educate the world about the value of nursing. Its mission is to foster a better understanding that nurses are

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autonomous, college-educated science professionals to strengthen nursing care, education and research, allowing nurses to save more lives.

Of course, the “truth about nursing” is that nurses save lives and work long, hard hours and make many sacrifices to provide healing and care at hospitals, clinics and in a variety of environments where nurses serve patients who may not otherwise come in contact with a healthcare provider.

Nurses have a long history of pioneering heroes, from Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing, to Clara Barton and Mary Breckinridge. Fortunately, the image of the nurse in TV, movies and in the media is improving.

More recently, movie nurses are “intelligent, strong, and passionate characters,” Stanley says.

An example is “Nurse Jackie.” At first

condemned by nursing organizations for her drug abuse, the Truth About Nursing says, “Jackie turned out to be arguably the strongest and the most skilled nurse ever depicted on serial U.S. television.” As it developed, “Nurse Jackie” was commended for standing up to organizations that threatened safe and equitable care, recalls Canadian nurse Lori Campbell.

Jada Pinkett Smith’s portrayal of Christina Hawthorne in “HawthoRNe” featured a nurse as its main character.

As the chief nursing officer at Richmond Trinity Hospital, Hawthorne presented a positive portrayal of nursing, advocating for her patients and staff.

“These are vital messages to increase public understanding of nursing and funding for nursing practice, education, research and residencies,” the Truth About Nursing reports.

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Jo Ellen Barton • Reth Cabaltera • Gail Crook Autumn Debernardi • Sandy Holiday • Helen Johnson Job Mascardo • Mariella Miranda • Louie Singidas Saviah Stewart • Hon Villanueva • Lavette Wake

Charlotte Davis • Holly Perry • Shannan Veber Franni Thomason • John Magtubo • Lacy Martinez Allyn Way-Daly • Dawn McCann • Amy Bibeau Patsy Golay • Ruth Wissenbach

14 — Missoulian, Sunday, May 12, 2019

S THE EVOLUTION OF

SCRUBS © adobe stock

crubs have long since entered lexicon and moved from uniforms for nurses, doctors and medical staff, to being embraced as a true mode of fashion.

Because they allow freedom of movement and comfort to hardworking medical professionals, the garments have become as popular as warm-up suits for those in and out of the field.

Scrubs were born of necessity and at first were worn by physicians which provided ease of movement and sanitary dress in operating rooms that could be quickly disposed of. According to an article on dressamed.com, nurses once wore long, bulky gowns for protection but were prone to transmutation diseases.

Modern scrubs were pioneered

by Dr. William Hasted, who also developed the first pair of latex gloves. But it took decades before what we now recognize as scrubs spread from operating-room wear to the de facto uniform of almost every hospital medical staffer.

While most medical facilities provide the drab green or blue scrubs most are familiar with, those in the medical field have sought out an even-more comfortable and fashion-forward look and uniform companies have responded.

It’s no mistake that people who wear any sort of uniform want to invest in a look that feels good, wears well and expresses some individuality. And manufacturers have responded.

Among them is Barco, a California-based uniform supplier that has been in business since 1929. The company claims to have created “the world’s first fashion scrubs” in 1965, and also makes uniforms for such fast-food chains as McDonald’s and Taco Bell, according to an article in The New York Times. But Barco also has a close connection to the entertainment world, supplying scrubs for a range of television and movies for decades, the article notes.

It’s biggest hit is a line in

partnership with the popular, long-running medical drama, “Grey’s Anatomy.” The show — and the scrubs — proved so successful that Barco turned from making scrubs for fictional TV shows to a line based on that show for realworld medical wear, the Times article reported.

On their website, Barco features no fewer than five signature “Grey’s Anatomy” lines of scrubs for women and men made from soft, stretchable fabric that “drapes elegantly and conveys a polished professional image.”

But Barco is not alone in producing fashion-forward scrubs.

Several companies, including Med Couture, Jaanuu and Cherokee are changing the look of medical uniforms, introducing bold colors, patterns and prints.

As an article on WorkingNurse. com pointed out,” looking good makes you feel good, and feeling good makes you perform your job even better. And that’s never out of style.”

Thank you to all of our Extaordinary Nurses!

406.721.5600

www.westernmontanaclinic.com

Nurses: The Heart of Health Care — 15

ROLE OF

SCHOOL NURSES

M

any will remember the school nurse’s office as a place where you went to lay down if you felt ill and to wait for a parent to pick you up. The nurse might also have checked your temperature and dispensed an aspirin. But today’s school nurses do so much more.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, modern school nurses: Assess health complaints, administer medication and care for students with special health care needs.

Develop contingencies for managing emergencies and urgent situations.

Manage health screening, immunizations and infectious disease reporting.

Identify and manage chronic healthcare needs.

In fact, school nurses are the primary caregiver to a large portion of students living in rural areas that lack other health care access. They perform a critical role in the community to identify unmet health needs and foster the relationship between health and education, resulting in increased academic achievement, improved attendance and better graduation rates.

According to the Academy’s position paper, school nurses and pediatricians, both community- and school-based, working together can be a great example of team-based care, providing comprehensive health services to students, families and their communities.

As more children with special health care needs enter schools, the school nurse becomes a vital link helping both students and families to reinforce treatment during and after the school day. Many children enter the school system with such issues as attentiondeficit or hyperactivity disorder,

Although their duties and mandates have expanded since that time, the core role of the school nurse hasn’t changed: Attendance is key to academic achievement. diabetes, life-threatening allergies and seizures. School nurses, often working with a school pediatrician, develop medical recommendations and administration in the school environment and often beyond.

School nurses are also the firstresponders to students suffering injuries incurred during sports or extracurricular activities. In the event of an emergency, such as a school shooting, school nurses may be among the first to treat any wounded students. They also play a critical role identifying parental noncompliance with medical home goals, the Academy reports, or if neglect or abuse is suspected.

It’s clear that times have changed dramatically since the first school nurse was appointed in New York City in 1902. That nurse, Lina Rogers, tended to the health care needs of more than 8,000 students in four schools.

Because of her success in reducing absenteeism, the system added 12 more nurses and all but eradicated absences due to medical conditions.

Although their duties and mandates have expanded since that time, the core role of the school nurse hasn’t changed: Attendance is key to academic achievement. Keeping students healthy helps ensure they achieve success and develop healthy practices during the school years and well into their adult lives. © adobe stock