My Scope of Practice: Nursing Is Not a Job — It’s a Calling

There is nothing which persevering effort and unceasing and diligent care cannot accomplish. — Seneca (Roman philosopher, mid-1st century AD)

     Geraldine (Gerry) Weathers, RN, is a long-term care Nurse Educator with Brogan & Associates (Philadelphia, Pa), a Nursing Assistant Training Program Instructor at the New Courtland Education Center (Philadelphia, Pa), and an Administrator with the Loving Quality Care Home Health Agency (Coatesville, Pa).

     Temple Hospital (Philadelphia, Pa) is at the foundation of her professional passions. “I am thankful for the education I obtained at Temple Hospital— it was the best!” Gerry says. “They taught us to ask ‘the why to the why to the why’ and to look beyond what you see and address the [patient’s] problem as precisely as possible while being proactive along the way. I was taught to work hard and unselfishly and to always strive for excellence.”

     After graduating from the Temple Hospital School of Nursing in 1969, the Coatesville, PA native gained extensive nursing experience in surgical care, coronary care, critical care, emergency, and infection control specialties. She worked for 1 year at Temple Hospital on the general medical-surgical unit and then spent 1970 through 1991 at Coatesville Hospital where she received coronary care training under the direction of Dr. M.P. Margolis. During this tour of duty, Gerry also began her career as Staff Education Coordinator for a new hospital (Brandywine Hospital) while working as a supervisor on the evening and night shifts.

     Gerry transitioned to long-term care in 1991, working in a nursing home in Delaware as Assistant Director of Nursing and Staff Educator. In 1993, she returned to Temple Hospital as Infection Control Nurse with the responsibility of PPD administration and tracking for the hospital and main (Temple) campus. In 1995, she was named Director of Nursing (DON) at Tucker House Nursing and Rehabilitation Home, a 180-bed long-term care facility. She had the opportunity to be mentored by a well-known mobile wound team that emphasized prevention and management of wounds. She worked directly with wound care clinicians and nurses that strived for a “zero wounds facility.” Gerry also worked with vendors that provided quality equipment and products especially designed to be used as prevention mechanisms. The experience as a DON afforded Gerry the opportunity to manage various stages of wounds. It also allowed her to indulge what she calls “a natural God-giving love for the older person,” a direct result of being raised by a grandmother she loved and respected.

     In 2006, Gerry was asked by W.C. Atkinson, a community healthcare facility (Coatesville, Pa) to coordinate the American Heart Association’s “Search Your Heart” — a faith-based heart health awareness program (for information, visit www.americanheart.org). The business venture jump-started her interest in community education. Under the auspices of the Chester County Health Department, she also coordinated “Body and Soul,” a program that focused on the African American faith-based society’s adoption of the principles of healthy eating and living within their church structure and in their homes and community. She has served on the planning committee of the Chester County African American Health and Wellness Expo and on the advisory board of the Chess Penn Health Center, both of Coatesville. She also coordinates several community-based health and wellness fairs.

     Education was and is always a vital part of Gerry’s day-to-day responsibilities. As a Nurse Educator, she is responsible for continuing education both in the classroom and onsite. She provides clinical support and mandated educational in-services and workshops in six long-term care facilities, ensuring compliance with state and federal regulations. Last fall, Gerry and her colleagues taught a health and wellness program to the members of a senior community in Philadelphia. She also actively participates and supports the quality assurance/quality improvement of long-term care homes.

     When asked which opportunities within her vocation excite her the most, Gerry says, “In addition to the patients, residents, and clients I have served throughout the years, I most appreciate the opportunity to teach new nurses. A coworker once told me that we live on forever as we pass our knowledge and experiences to others. In all of my endeavors, I strive to build teams for success and reach for excellence. Nursing is my life. I love it beyond understanding. I believe I was born to be a nurse because it is not just a job — it is a calling. Giving and caring are two of life’s essentials in my opinion. In helping others, I always receive more than I give.”

     Gerry was eager to be part of OWM’s transculturally themed issue. “When I think of African Americans I think, ‘Wow!’ In terms of health, we are typically Number One on the mortality list when it comes to almost every disease (see Table 1). I am very concerned about our quality of life as it relates to optimum healthcare and accessing the system. Knowing what to ask for in terms of the right treatment modalities is so very critical. When I think of transcultural healthcare (African Americans particularly), the first thing that comes to mind is that we are dying at higher rates and if we are not dying, we are suffering more because we do not always have the same medical access or opportunities.” Table 2 includes Gerry’s perceptions on compromised care among ethnic groups.

     Although life-threatening illnesses and disparities affect African and Hispanic Americans more frequently than other nationalities, Gerry believes it is never too late to initiate healthy changes to end the vicious cycle. “In my opinion, we must adopt the principles of proper nutrition, adequate exercise, sufficient water consumption, and sufficient rest,” she says.

     Gerry has advice for anyone considering a career in nursing. “Ask yourself, ‘Why do I want to be a nurse’,” she says. “Nursing should be a passion and serving others should be a natural way of life. Search your heart and your soul— if they scream back, ‘Go for it,’ this is what you are destined to do. Please do it with all your might.” Education, experience, time, dedication, purpose, and practice are all the components of Gerry’s nursing and community success — each one vitally important within her scope of practice.

This article was not subject to the Ostomy Wound Management peer-review process.