Ora L. Strickland, PhD, DSc (Hon), RN, FAAN

1. What inspired you to become a nurse?
I wanted to be at the bedside because I thought this is the place where I can make a difference. I consciously made a choice not to be a physician. I had the grades, but I knew nurses really spent time at the bedside. I was led by God to stay in nursing. Nursing is so much more than bathing, checking blood pressure and emptying bedpans. In addition to bedside care, it's about preventive care -- helping people take better care of themselves so they don't end up sick or in the hospital.

2. What are your specialties, and how did you get there?
Women's health, minority health and research. There are a lot of exciting things to study. Our patients provide us with so much knowledge. We can learn so much about their bodies and their health by observing and listening to them. My work today as a researcher puts me back at the bedside in a different way. We look for commonalities among patients to better improve care. I like to study things in populations that other people might not want to. With new technology and advanced medical knowledge, we've come a long way with treatment.

3. What do you like best about working in the nursing field?
What I love about nursing is that no matter who we are or what we do, we make a tremendously positive impact on a multitude of people. Nursing is far more than what the media reports it to be. You can be anything in nursing that you want to be -- top executive, vice president, at the bedside, business executive (nursing home, home health care, selling medical supplies) or educator. Nurses make a tremendous impact on other people's lives on a daily basis, whether you are bedside, in the classroom or in the laboratory. And we not only impact the person, but also the family. It's a unit of care -- helping them to have a better transition homeward and to get the optimum care.

4. What, if any, barriers have you had to overcome?
My first barrier was that as a young woman I got my Ph.D. One of the course leaders told me that I had done it wrong -- I didn't pay my dues in the profession. They thought I was too smart to be a nurse. I always say, "It's better to be smart if you are a nurse."

5. Do you have a personal story relative to your career that you'd like to share?
There are always certain patients that you remember. A six-week-old child was brought in to the hospital with two broken legs and two broken arms. Her father, who was not living with the family at the time, brought her. We took care of her and did everything we could to have her removed from her home. But the judge believed the child needed to be with her mother. She was back in the hospital two more times; and the last time she was blind, deaf and suffered severe brain injury. I remember that little girl because it reminds me of the failure of the legal system. The health care system has worked hard to make sure people are taking care of themselves. None of us can carry out our work in isolation. We (health, social, legal) are all dependent on each other to take care of people well. The real challenge is how do we get everyone to work effectively and in concert with each other.

6. What are your most proud accomplishments?
I never concern myself with what I've accomplished or what awards I've received. I do my work. When I get up in the morning, I ask the Lord to place me where he wants me to be. We know when we've impacted other people's lives. It's about serving others. We are all placed on the earth to get and to generate knowledge. God put us here because we were unfinished.

7. What are your plans for the future?
I will go where God leads me and do the best that I can do. There's a lot of writing and a lot of research to do. When I was real young, I thought I had control over the future. The doors are open for you because it's part of your mission in life, you were born that way. You have to be prepared to walk through those doors.

My philosophy as a professional woman and mother is simple -- careers are important, but if you fail at being a mother, then you fail generations to come.

8. What words of wisdom do you have for a student just graduating?
When you enter into this field prepared through education, interaction and experience, the better nurse you will be. It is a constant growth process that goes on for the rest of your life and career. It's your responsibility to teach others and bring them along with you -- never forget that!

<< Leaders >>