Guest alumni blogger Amanda Anthony '06 is the senior director, care management at UCHealth. She shares about her experience during the pandemic.
For the 18th year in a row, nurses ranked as the most trusted professionals nationwide. The World Health Organization declared 2020 the “International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife,” in honor of the 200th anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birth. While always recognized and appreciated, the value of nurses is immeasurable in the middle of a worldwide pandemic. Author Brené Brown said, “when I think about the most miraculous moments in my life and the most difficult, a NURSE was standing next to me. Often holding my hand.”
From a 2006 South Dakota State University College of Nursing graduate to a nurse leader in 2020, I know the education and training I received at SDSU prepared me to be resilient, patient-centric, and community focused regardless of the situation. The Jackrabbit mentality is the backbone of my response to this crisis and ability to lead a team of 130 nurses, social workers and care coordinators on the frontlines of the pandemic.
As much as this is a time of uncertainty and fear, we are also writing our page in the history books, and I know Florence Nightingale would be proud. An idea has been floating around on social media to LEAN INTO THE GOOD that remains: relationships, family, love, self-care, compassion, and most of all – hope. To all my SDSU nursing alumni and future nursing colleagues, I am right here behind you, cheering you along each step of the way.
This is what we prepare for and this is what it means to be a Jackrabbit.