If not for Mrs. Bunge I would not be a nurse today. I wouldn’t understand that nursing practice isn’t limited to one type of nursing care. Mrs. Bunge was her own nurse and practiced where the need was to be of service. She showed me that there’s no one way to be a nurse and that a nursing care plan, when being your own nurse, can change as life changes.

I didn’t grow up with nurses in my family—immediate or distant. I knew only one nurse, Mrs. Bunge, and she has always been curious. Mrs. Bunge has talent like you can’t imagine. Today, she would be a world-famous artist or fashion designer. In fact, her talents are not only in the arts but also the sciences. She has a curious brain so biology and physics are natural for her and she could have been an engineer, or research scientist today.

But in the 1950s, women wanting to further their education became teachers or nurses. She became a nurse. In that time, nursing school was education and on the job training. After a few short classes, she worked at the hospital. Nursing education, and caring for people, started with the basics: cleaning, laundry, and meal preparation. As the nursing classes continued, students applied this learning into their expanding practices. The expectation was that nursing was a life-long learning profession and would continue even after graduation.

Mrs. Bunge’s curiosity for all things got her through that type of training. She always asked questions: Why this way of doing laundry? Why this type of meal preparation for this patient? Why clean this way instead of that. She was learning about human existence, which is what we do as nurses. She discovered knowledge about human beings and doing the care that’s needed and accepted. Her resilience was her curiosity in her own professional self-care and in the people she provided nursing care for.

Curiosity is a mindset that we can choose. Being curious can energize us, help enhance performance, and boost our resilience. Mrs. Bunge, the Curious Nurse, has role modeled being your own nurse to me and many others through her life-long nursing practice. She continues to provide nursing care to family and friends to this day. She’s 90 years young this year.

(Do you have a story about a nurse who was significant to you? Share their story in the comments section.)

Amy E. Rettig, DNP, MALM, MSN, BSN, RN, ACNS-BC, PMHNP-BC, provides nursing care for both professional and non-professional caregivers. She presents, publishes and studies well-being (developing the caregiver within) from the perspectives of holism, caring relationships, and systems.