Debra Wollaber
As I thought about what to share with prospective students I was drawn to Dr. Seuss’ “Oh! The Places You’ll Go!” as it illustrates what a nursing career can bring you.
I’ve wanted to be a nurse nearly all of my life. I think my nursing career began at my grandmother’s knee. Gladys Bertha Reynolds Bond graduated from Hartford Hospital Training School for Nurses in 1916. When I was a child I read her nursing journals often, and she talked with me about what it was like to be a maternal-infant nurse. It was no surprise that I decided to specialize in Maternal-Child Health nursing as well.
I began work at Albany Medical Center in New York State as a labor-and-delivery, post-partum, and nursery nurse (both newborn and neonatal intensive care). I loved it! There is something so very special about working with mothers, fathers, babies, and their siblings. It is an honor to be present at a birth! At that time I believed wholeheartedly I would remain at the bedside for the duration of my career. However, experiences I had later had changed my career trajectory. Nursing prepares you to be flexible and to create opportunities for yourself as you grow in your profession. That was certainly the case for me. I became interested in teaching nursing and I obtained my Master's in Parent-Child Nursing and my Ph. D. in Child and Family Studies. Both of those educational experiences helped prepare me for what I do today.
Nursing is an exciting profession. As Dr. Seuss says, “You can steer yourself any direction you choose.” Although the public thinks that the majority of nursing occurs in hospitals, nursing prepares you to do so much more than that. As you mature in your career, nursing offers you opportunities to practice in other ways to meet your life-goals. Join us!
