President’s Message

Several years ago, while in my Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program at the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing, we held  a robust class discussion about legacy and famous nurses. This culminated in a new class assignment to write our own obituary.  For a DNP-level assignment, that seemed unusual but turned out to be personally beneficial for me.

I suspect that, at the start of class, the professor did not really intend for us to write our obituary and provide a summary or highlight achievements in our lives.  She already had access to information about us, including our current positions and curriculum vitae. In the end, this was not so much about us, but was a creative assignment that led to a spontaneous broad discussion and self-reflection on our profession and the values we held. With more than twenty thoughtful nurse leaders from across the United States, representing practice, academia, and nursing leadership, this course, as well as the assignment and discussion, changed our lives. As important as what we included in our draft obituaries, it became obvious what was not in most of them – consideration of how our accomplishments contributed to our profession. And often, what happens with educational experiences is that this assignment changed us, our personal and professional careers, and perhaps future impact we could  achieve as nurse leaders. 

Not everyone intentionally thinks about the impact they want to have beyond the immediate opportunities they encounter. But purposeful discussions about our profession, society, and what the profession and individual nurses can do make a difference. There is a long list of famous, influential, and not-so-famous nurses who went beyond immediate needs and created lasting solutions. How many can you name? An internet search provided a plethora of nurses. For example, Margaret Sanger worked as a visiting nurse in New York City’s tenements. She advocated for women’s health and founded an organization that became Planned Parenthood (Michals, 2017). 

Most nurse practitioners have heard of Loretta Ford, recipient of the Surgeon General’s Medallion (the highest U.S. Public Health Service honor awarded to a civilian); she launched the first nurse practitioner program in 1965 (Peters, 2023). The internet search also provided the names of several Ohio nurses. Betty Smith Williams, as a graduate student at Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing at Case Western Reserve University, was the first African American to graduate from the school and was a founding member of the National Black Nurses Association (Robinson, 2016). The first President of the American Nurses Association, Isabel Hampton Robb, played several key roles as superintendent of nursing programs, author, and faculty. Her accomplishments included the creation of nursing programs and publication of textbooks. She helped found the American Journal of Nursing.  One could only imagine what she might have accomplished if her life had not been cut short by a streetcar accident in Cleveland, Ohio (American Association for the History of Nursing, 2018). 

Ohio has a rich history of nurses providing strong leadership and accomplishments. This year at the September Annual Meeting, we will celebrated an individual who is known to many. Often seen and heard at previous state nursing meetings, Ella Kick, PhD, RN, has frequently made a lasting difference. A publication titled Ella Care: A Life of Adventure and Discovery in Nursing (Kick, 2014), written by Ella herself, highlights many of her contributions and continuous service to the profession and patients. Her unique way of incorporating humor is joyful and uplifting. 

Ella’s latest contribution to nurses in Ohio is allowing ANA-Ohio to announce the creation of our organization’s non-profit foundation. Her major gift fulfills part of ANA-Ohio’s  strategic plan and will be used to support nursing initiatives and scholarships. Perhaps Ella’s most significant achievement is this generous gift to the ANA-Ohio Foundation, which will inspire others to create a future where they, too, can make a lasting difference.

References

American Association for the History of Nursing (2018). Isabel Adams Hampton Robb 1860- 1910. Retrieved 9-7-25 from https://aahn.org/robb

Kick, E. M. (2014). Ella Care: A life of adventure and discovery in nursing. Never Forget Press.

Michals, D. (2017). Margret Sanger. National Women’s History Museum. Retrieved 9-7-25 from https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/margaret-sanger 

Peters, C. J. (2023). Dr. Loretta C. Ford: A pioneer in healthcare. Public Health Nursing,40(3), 466-467. https://doi.org/10.1111/phn.13192. 

Robinson, D. (Fall, 2016). Uniting nurses of color: A pioneer in the field. Think. Case Western Reserve University.

Stevenson, R. L. (2023). Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds you plant.  Retrieved September 7. 2025 from https://quotestoinspire.medium.com/dont-judge-each-day-by-the-harvest-you-reap-robert-louis-stevenson-7ca18583b0cd