Where do you consider your hometown?
I grew up in Waupaca, Wisconsin.
Tell me about your journey into nursing. How did you get into nursing and why did you choose UW–Madison School of Nursing?
Growing up in Wisconsin made it an easy decision to come back to UW–Madison.
I was working in health care and environmental ethics. I was straddling both those fields for a long time. After working more on the corporate side of health care, I realized that I wanted to directly care for patients. Many of my peers realized the need for health care professions after the pandemic.
It made perfect sense for me to come home and start working towards the goal of becoming a nurse.
What did you like about the accelerated BSN (ABSN) program?
One of the unique things about the accelerated program is that it’s a small cohort. We only had about 50 people. You get to know your peers and interact directly with the faculty.
The program is hard, but you have strong support from the nursing faculty.
Describe the culture of the School of Nursing.
As far as being part of the program, I would not have known what to do without my peers. The support from my peers, instructors, and School of Nursing staff made all the difference. You find your people to support you if you’re struggling and celebrate with you on your good days.
The faculty are genuinely passionate about the nursing profession, and they want to see students succeed.
What advice would you have for someone who’s considering this program?
My biggest piece of advice is to be open to new experiences and be open to feeling uncomfortable.
When you’re returning to school and becoming the “novice” again, it can be intimidating. You can maintain openness to new knowledge and new experiences, and, ultimately, it’s going to make you a better nurse at the end of this program.
Fostering new connections while maintaining others with your community outside of the program is integral.
What did self-care look like for you during your time in the ABSN program?
Physical activity has been a way of de-stressing for me. I walked or biked to campus every day, so it helped keep my mind clear.
How did you first get interested in planetary health and decide to join the Planetary Health Report Card student group?
I was first introduced to the concept of planetary health after seeking opportunities to connect my nursing education with the concept of One Health, which is a similar thought framework. Both planetary health and One Health seek to understand the bidirectional linkages between human, environmental, and animal health by providing transdisciplinary research and understandings to solutions.
I believe that the climate crisis is critical and has direct relevance to medicine–both in the notion that health care generates incredible amounts of waste and that we need a healthy planet to support the health of all.
Climate change currently has and will continue to have the most disproportionate impacts on the most vulnerable members of our global community. Central to my personal nursing ethics is to both do no harm and act, educate, and care in a way that can help prevent harm to all. From my previous studies and work, current nursing education, and future aspirations of providing global health care, I believe that planetary health is vital to nursing education for everyone.
One of my main motivations for joining this collaborative group was to critically analyze the incorporation of planetary health in the practices and curriculum within the School of Nursing. When I have explained the intersections of my passions of health care and planetary health, many people haven’t understood the connections. This is largely because it does not fall in the traditional image of a nurse.
Not everyone will want to take my path in nursing; nevertheless, planetary health has direct relevance to all nurses, health care providers, and people. It is vital for educational institutions who are preparing health care providers to familiarize students with this concept and to teach them to generate integrative and multidisciplinary solutions to issues.
What did you learn about the impact the Planetary Health Report Card could have?
The Planetary Health Report Card is a fantastic opportunity for international and interprofessional collaboration. Students from different stages of education and disciplines can work together and bring diverse perspectives to their assessments of programs.
This project is an excellent opportunity for students to have buy-in with programmatic improvement and form relationships with staff. I hope this project, institutional presentations, and conferences increase awareness of planetary health to curriculum designers and sparks interest in other budding health professionals.
How could nurses or nursing students advocate for or get involved in planetary health work?
There are countless ways for students and nurses to get involved. Continuing education of the links between human health and the environment, especially in the context of climate change, is a vital initial step. Additionally, getting involved in local organizations and advocating for projects to increase sustainability efforts and public awareness of health impacts make a difference.
All people, nurses, students, and other professionals alike have an important role in voicing policy changes that support the health of all people and the environment.
Some excellent organizations to consider are:
What is the next step for your career?
In the fall, I am starting a position at Meriter on their General Medicine floor.
I’m working to make myself a more well-rounded nurse and future practitioner, and, ultimately, trying to do my part to make the world better.
How did the UW–Madison School of Nursing prepare you for your future career?
The UW–Madison School of Nursing provided me with a strong foundation of clinical education and skills to add to my existing knowledge and passion for the health of people and the environment.
I believe I have a unique lens to apply to nursing and planetary health work that will support innovative solutions that can have positive upstream health impacts. I hope to apply my nursing education and upcoming public health training to a future career advocating for and supporting the health of the most vulnerable members of our global community.
Climate change and environmental degradation are already having unimaginable consequences on the health of thousands of people. I believe it is vital for all people to be committed to finding solutions to support those already at risk, to prevent further harm, and to support the health of all.
What do you think about when you think of the future of nursing?
One of the things that I have been working on defining for myself—and one of the things that the faculty here at the School of Nursing have been instilling in us—is that you don’t have to be one thing when you become a Badger nurse.
One of the things that has stuck with me is that if you don’t like the area of nursing you’re in, you can try something else. You have the power to make it your own.
How would you finish the sentence: “A Badger nurse is…”?
A Badger nurse is proud. I’m proud to be affiliated with the university here. UW–Madison has a global reputation of excellence. And additionally, I’m proud to be raised in Wisconsin and proud to be educated here.
There’s a strong community base with Midwestern values that’s here in Madison and UW-Madison! It’s also demonstrated by our alumni and community partner support.
I am honored to be the fourth UW alum and one of 4 nurses in my family.