Nurses on the Move: Helene Bowen-Brady

As the summer warms up, so do amazing nurses who concentrate on the most popular profession topics.

This month Nurse on the move is Helene Bowen-Brady, M.Ed, BSN, RN-BC, director of the skilled development program at Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital. Not only is she focused on leading the Faculty of Nursing on a magnetic journey, but she also serves on the CLCDN (Clinical Leadership Collaborative for Diversity in Nursing) Steering Committee and most recently served as site coordinator for a world nursing research project.

Bowen-Brady previously worked as a nurse, lactation consultant and college nurse while raising her 4 children. She received her BSN from Boston College. She also obtained a master’s degree and is currently studying doctoral programs.

I interviewed Bowen-Brady to search out out what drew her to such diverse roles in nursing and what she sees for the occupation in the long run.

Answer: Honestly, at 16 I wasn’t sure what I desired to do. In the early Seventies, I received profession advice: to turn out to be a teacher or a nurse. Ultimately, the motivation was simply that nurses who went to graduate school needed to live far-off from school, and if I became a teacher, I’d should commute to varsity. At the age of 16, it was a very simple decision – I desired to live far-off. In hindsight, it was the perfect decision for me. I even have had a tremendous profession as a nurse.

Answer: I began working as a charge nurse since the hours suited my family. I had no idea what an excellent profession move it might transform and what great clinical and leadership experiences being a faculty nurse would supply. I feel that of all of the nursing roles I even have had, school nursing was probably essentially the most difficult. In most settings, school nurses work independently to deal with the various, complex, acute and chronic health needs of scholars of all ages.

A: Personal need – When my first son was born, there was limited, if any, support for breastfeeding moms in my community. When I worked as a VNA nurse, I used to be fortunate to work with an revolutionary nursing director who supported me in expanding the services I provided to families with newborns.

Answer: I consider that lifelong learning is crucial for each nurse. The knowledge I gain by reading journal articles, attending classes, listening to webinars, or taking online classes absolutely helps me be a greater practitioner.

A: The biggest change is technology. When I first became a teacher in 1980, I had to put in writing every lecture by hand after which type it up for the department secretary because she was the just one who had a typewriter. Finding relevant journal articles meant visiting the hospital or local college library. Today I even have countless electronic folders stored on my computer. Search engines make it easier to search out reliable and up-to-date information on any topic. There are many latest and revolutionary technology strategies and tools that teachers can use to interact adult learners to positively improve learning activities and make them more meaningful to staff.

A: When I entered nursing school within the early Seventies, health care was primarily provided in an acute care hospital. Health care has modified dramatically during the last 40 years. Nurses have the chance to play a key role in the long run of health care, and most of those expanded roles will happen outside of hospital settings. I firmly consider that the upcoming changes shall be in the perfect interest of our patients and their families.

Answer: This would encourage nurses to get entangled. Step outside the comfort zone of the person or area by which you’re employed – join a committee at work or an expert organization that represents the local branch of your practice area. There are many extremely talented and revolutionary nurses on this occupation from whom each of us can learn.