Robin Mutz, senior vice president and chief nurse executive at St. Jude, learned over time that nursing provides myriad avenues of clinical study. This is part of an ongoing series.
I have wanted to be a nurse from my earliest memories. As a little girl, I provided first aid for the entire neighborhood, including treating bike accidents, scrapes and bruises. I had a hospital in my carport. I used all the lawn chairs and my friends were the patients. In return, I provided lunch in bed, consisting of bologna or peanut butter and homemade jelly sandwiches with a large glass of red Kool-Aid. I was a candy striper in high school and volunteered at a tiny community hospital in East Tennessee. One day, a nurse let me peer into the delivery room, and I saw a baby born for the first time. It was life-changing, and sealed the deal for me to become a nurse.
When I began nursing, there were no residency programs to mentor new nurses. I was thrown into the “deep end of the pool” and left to sink or swim. My head nurse knew I was struggling to keep up. One day I tearfully told her I thought I was going to quit because I didn’t think I was cut out to be a nurse. She looked at me and said, “You are an amazing nurse, and I’m going to make sure you are the best nurse ever.” She taught me to become a confident nurse with good skills. I never forgot her compassionate leadership and have tried to role model that behavior throughout my career.
I wish I had known that a career in nursing has limitless possibilities. You can begin in one direction, change several times throughout and build a knowledge base and career variety that will sustain you for a lifetime.