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| Eileen Sullivan Marx and Afaf Meleis |
Thank
you Dean Eileen Sullivan Marx and thank you President Hamilton for your unwavering
support of nursing.
Congratulations
2019 Graduates! I am truly honored to be here, not only because your dean, a
dear friend, is one of the best in the country, not only because I am receiving
the Helen Manzer Award, and not only because I consider your faculty members
among the top knowledge producers in the country. I am truly honored to be here
as a witness and a participant in celebrating this important milestone in the lives
of the 2019 graduates.
You are graduating at an
incredibly remarkable point in our history. While there is turmoil in the world
affecting our core democratic values, and while we are living through global
unrest and major demographic shifts, we are also at a critical junction in nursing’s
history and future that provides the platform for us/for you to
impact social and health policy changes.
You are graduating at a time
when the world is recognizing and acknowledging that nurses have a vital
role to play in achieving universal health care, in moving us closer to gender
and cultural equities, and in improving economies by making populations
healthier. This is the platform created by the “Nursing Now” campaign,
which prompted the World Health Organization to declare next year, 2020,
The Year of the Nurse globally. The world is ready for empowered,
well-educated nurses to have a voice in the wellbeing of populations - ready
for nurses to lead the way.
You are among those who
received the best education and you are empowered. Because of
that, I will assume you will want to have a voice when it comes to sexual
harassment, trafficking, and work incivilities – and you will have a desire to
insure health care is compassionate and humanistic, and that health care is the
right of every human being. I will assume you will want to have a voice of
intolerance for colonialism in all its forms, and against racism, sexism, homophobia
and toxic environments. If that is the voice you want to cultivate, if you want
to make a difference, if you want to impact social and health policies, and if
you want to impact your institution’s policies, then I suggest you plan a
future based on four guideposts for your career.
These four guideposts/goals
all begin with the letter “C”,
including a “C” to carve out and to create a captivating career.
And, I promise not to mention the “C” in collusion! Instead, I hope you
remember these 4 C’s, in credibility, coaching, collaboration, and comfort
zones.
I will begin with credibility. While you already
received a credible education, it is now imperative that you build your own
individual platform for credibility, from which you can function up to your
full potential, armed with evidence and experience. No job and no role is too
small to give it your all. Strive for excellence in each and in all. Do not
compromise. Do not take short cuts. Credibility in your practice, in your research,
in your administration – credibility is developed through adhering to work
ethics, integrity, systematic building on your expertise, and being open to continuous
learning. Your voice will not be heard and you will not be able to make an impact
without earning and demonstrating your credible expertise and accomplishments.
The second important “C” is coaching. Seek mentorship for
every role you embark on. Make sure you cultivate relationships with
nurturing, inspiring, and informative mentors, mentors who coach you and show
you the ropes, open up doors, facilitate relationships, challenge you, provide
you with honest evaluation, and coach you on the timing, the tools, and the
hows in using your strong, impactful voice. But remember, we also continue to
learn a great deal, not only from receiving coaching, but also from coaching
others. Be generous in mentoring others.
The third “C” is collaboration. We all know the
research findings supporting the powerful results achieved through
collaborative and effective teamwork. It leads to more adherence to regimens,
less infections, less falls, and on and on with many positive outcomes. But, the
collaboration that I am speaking about is cultivating communities that share
your value system and goals – collaboration that can help you achieve the
changes you want to make happen. Empower yourself by creating collective voices
by being part of a community. Find out what organizations you can join in which
you can add your voice. For me, over the years, I joined organizations that
focused on women’s health, others that focused on nursing knowledge, consortia
for global health, as well as local and national chapters of associations for faculty
members. These organizations were influenced by my passion for nursing and my
compassion for vulnerable populations, and they, in turn, helped amplify and
support my voice. It is through collaboration and partnership that we are empowered
– they become our power engine.
I have learnt a great deal about gender inequity by being in men’s groups, about ethnic inequity by being in multicultural groups, about disciplinary aggressions by being a member of interprofessional teams, and about international inequities by being in multinational organizations. I also learnt how to embrace my own multi-minority statuses, as an immigrant with an accent from a developing country, as a nurse in settings that defer to physicians, as a woman in a world built and run by men, and as a social scientist in academic environments that favor biological and physical scientists. Once I acknowledged my many minority statuses, I displayed and used each as a badge of honor to educate, to advocate, and to change assumptions. But, before I acknowledged and flaunted my marginalized position, I established my own credibility. I found out what is the gold standard in each of my roles and worked on reaching it.
Now I am back full circle in my remarks to you, congratulating you and celebrating your milestone by passing to you the advice I wish I had received at every junction in my own educational journey. To make a difference, to translate your passion for our disincline and your compassion for our patients, and to achieve your goals, it is imperative that you:
- Establish your own individual credibility, reaching every gold standard and reaching out and up for the stars.
- Coach and be coached.
- Cultivate collaboration, finding the power engine that makes your voice a powerhouse.
- And continue to step out of your comfort zone and take risks.
Congratulations to all the graduates
of 2019!
