Where Are They Now? Catching Up with David Ensch ‘73
In the centennial edition of ForwardNursing magazine (Volume 10, Issue 1), page 200 included a photo of an unidentified nursing student from the early 1970s, but it was undated and there was no caption identifying who was captured in the image. The photo captured a very pensive-looking young man, and we just had to find out the story behind it. Thanks to Julia Ensch ’10, we now know that the young man captured in the image is none other than her father, David Ensch ’73!
Julia reached out to us by email saying, “I think this photo is of my dad David Ensch. He is unsure of the year. He graduated from UW–Madison with his B.S. in agronomy in 1969. While he was working on this degree, he worked as an orderly at UW Hospital. After he finished his B.S. in agronomy, he pursued a graduate degree for a semester, took some time off, and then started an abbreviated nursing program in about 1970-71 (abbreviated because of his previous B.S. degree). He doesn’t remember the picture being taken, [and says it] ‘must have been a candid.’
After becoming a Badger nurse, he worked as an ICU staff nurse at UW Hospital and Clinics, Mayo Clinic, and Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center. He spent the last 15-20 or so years of his career back at UW Hospital and Clinics in their float pool and then as an SOS nurse when they created that program. He retired in about 2012-2013.”
Thanks to Julia and David, we can further identify the School of Nursing’s past and help connect it to our present. Thank you, Julia and David!
Q1. Where do you consider your hometown, and where do you currently reside?
A1. I was born in Shullsburg, Wisconsin, and have lived in Madison, Wisconsin on and off since 1969.
Q2. After earning a degree in agronomy and beginning graduate school, what made you decide to pursue a degree in nursing?
A2. I was in an agriculture focused fraternity for my first BS and one of my fraternity brothers got me into a job as a nursing assistant. We thought it was pretty good money for inside work, having grown up on farms doing a lot of manual labor outside in all kinds of weather.
After working in a hospital setting throughout undergraduate school, I realized that I found the work really interesting. While I was in the beginning of graduate school for agronomy trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life, I talked with an advisor. They helped me get signed up for nursing classes and off I went to get my BSN.
Q3. Which role, position, or experience was the most significant to your nursing career? Why?
A3. The first half of my career in nursing I had several bedside roles in cardiac and surgical intensive care units (ICUs) in several large teaching hospitals (UW Hospital & Clinics, Mayo Clinic, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center). The skills, communication style, and general understanding of nursing work flow I learned in these roles prepared me well for the second half of my career. I worked as a general hospital resource at UW Hospital & Clinics as an SOS (save our shift) nurse from about 1995 to 2013 when I retired.
Q4. Looking back, what was the most rewarding part of being a nurse?
A4. Being useful to my fellow hospital staff. It was great coming to work every day and being able to help people out. From placing an IV, responding to a trauma page in the ED (emergency department), to taking a patient on a road trip. My job was all about helping out the bedside staff.
Q5. What advice would you give to someone who is thinking about changing their career path to pursue a career in nursing?
A5. Nursing is a lot of different things. Thinking about what you are interested in is important. Getting experience in nursing adjacent roles will tell you a lot about if you are really interested in nursing.
Catching Up With Julia Ensch ’10
Q1. Where do you consider your hometown, and where do you currently reside?
A1. I was born in Madison, Wisconsin, and went to school there. After school I took a nursing job in Milwaukee and have been there ever since.
Q2. Why did you choose nursing? Did you always know you wanted to be a nurse, or did you explore other options first?
A2. While taking AP science classes in high school I figured out that learning science was fun! I thought maybe I wanted to be a high school science teacher. Meanwhile, both of my parents were nurses, and in nursing degrees you also use a lot of science. I ended up working as a nursing assistant to get more exposure and found that I liked the practical use of science married with the use of social sciences, evidence-based information, and the large variety of things you can do with a nursing degree.
Q3. Why did you choose the UW-Madison School of Nursing?
A3. At the time I was looking into higher education I was looking for a school that had good opportunities to study education or nursing. UW–Madison had those things, as well as a large university campus which appealed to me because I had gone to a large high school. The diversity in fellow students, faculty, and educational and social opportunities suited me well. It was also more affordable than other institutions I looked into.
Q4. What has been your nursing journey so far? What is your current role?
A4. I have spent my whole career at Aurora St Luke’s Hospital in Milwaukee. I worked on a medical surgical inpatient unit for about six years and have worked in a surgical ICU for the last seven years.
Q5. What is the most rewarding part of being a nurse?
A5. Teamwork. From simply noticing a co-worker is busy and lending a hand, to the complicated task of precepting a new nurse to competent independent practice. Working together to provide quality patient care is a fantastic experience. There is also a lot to be said for the satisfaction of helping someone brush their teeth. Helping a person find that bit of humanity brings purpose to my work as a nurse.