Volunteering Is Essential To Prepare For A Nursing Career In San Francisco
With a continuing nursing shortage in San Francisco and across California, instructors like Marion Upton of Carrington College are doing their part to educate new nursing students to help fill the void. While local colleges such as San Francisco State University have increased enrollment for their nursing programs, more nursing educators are also needed. Upton offers career advice for potential educators and new nurses.
What is your background and education?
"I was born and raised in Nashville, Tennessee. I attended the University of Tennessee at Knoxville where I graduated with a bachelor's degree in nursing in 1987. After graduation I worked at Vanderbilt University Medical Center for 16 years as a staff nurse on medical/surgical and research units. Eleven years ago, I moved to Antioch, California. My first job in California was at Kaiser Permanente where I worked as a continuing care coordinator for four years. I am currently a vocational nursing instructor at Carrington College in Pleasant Hill."
How has your education helped you in your current position?
"Having a degree in nursing has enabled me to fulfill an innate compassion for helping others. While in nursing school, I learned both task-oriented skills and critical thinking skills as well as the moral, ethical and legal components of the profession. These skills are essential for a nurse. Upon graduation, I pledged that I would devote myself to the welfare of others. I've been able to execute that pledge throughout my career – initially as a provider of direct patient care and now as an educator who helps students achieve their goals of becoming vocational nurses. Though both roles are different, they share similar functions: care-giving, communication, teaching, advocating and counseling."
What career advice can you share with students interested in a career in nursing?
"Nursing is a noble profession, however, it's not without its challenges. I strongly recommend students talk to nurses about their job duties and responsibilities. Volunteering in hospitals and long-term care facilities would be beneficial in seeing the professionalism and the dedication required to become a nurse. Whoever chooses nursing as a profession will be in the company of the most committed and hard-working people I know!"
Randy Yagi is a freelance writer covering all things San Francisco. In 2012, he was awarded a Media Fellowship from Stanford University. His work can be found on Examiner.com Examiner.com.