BEST DAY AS A NURSE

“I had a young man in his 30s who’d been in a terrible motorcycle accident, had serious head and bodily injuries, and we didn’t expect him to make it. His name was Jerry, and the entire time he was in the ICU, his mother and partner were by his side. Two months later, he came back, hugged all his nurses, and was just endearing. Most people don’t ever come back. It was incredibly meaningful."

"He wasn’t awake or alert, and he had no family; all he had was us, the nurses who took care of him. And we took care of him—his name was Donald—until he died.”

Dean Pam Cipriano on her hardest case as a nurse

HARDEST DAY AS A NURSE

“We cared for a gentleman who was stabbed on a street corner in Washington, D.C., which severed his subclavian vein. The wound became infected and, despite multiple surgeries to drain pockets of infection, he smelled awful— so much so that the physicians didn’t even want to enter the room. He wasn’t awake or alert, and he had no family; all he had was us, the nurses who took care of him. And we took care of him—his name was Donald—until he died.”

MOST EXCITING CASE AS A NURSE

“I cared for the first artificial heart patient in the world, Barney Clark, a 61-year-old dentist, at the University of Utah. It was 1982. We’d just implemented a new physiological monitoring system, and I was the expert, managing all this technology, which was intense, along with the compressor for his heart. It was amazing in so many ways. He suffered many setbacks throughout this pioneering treatment, but progressed to being able to sit in a chair, even with his tracheostomy and ventilator. Unfortunately, he didn’t survive, but he taught everyone about courage to be the first, to take a huge personal risk.”

“Serving as ANA president . . . of course, a close second was having the UVA Medical Center earn its first Magnet® designation when I was CNO."

Dean Pam Cipriano on her biggest professional satisfaction

BIGGEST PROFESIONAL SATISFACTION

“Serving as ANA president. It’s an honor to hold that position, which comes with a heavy responsibility but also a desire to do everything you can to elevate the profession while, at the same time, speaking to the people of the nation and making sure the public understands what nurses do, and how they improve lives every day.

“Of course, a close second was having the UVA Medical Center earn its first Magnet® designation when I was CNO."

“I cared for the first artificial heart patient in the world, Barney Clark, a 61-year-old dentist, at the University of Utah. It was 1982. We’d just implemented a new physiological monitoring system, and I was the expert, managing all this technology."

Dean Pam Cipriano on her most exciting case as a nurse

MOST DIFFICULT HURDLE FACED AS A NURSE

“Working for deaf bosses! And not being able to always get the resources you believe are necessary to support nurses and other clinicians in the delivery of care.”

ON MY BOOKSHELF

“I like legal and law enforcement thrillers: John Grisham, David Baldacci, John LeCarre. Right now, I’m reading Saigon: An Epic Novel of Vietnam, by Anthony Grey, because I’ll head there in the spring. For non-fiction, I like books that speak to feminist history, activism and empowerment of women from authors like Gail Collins. I most recently read Make Trouble by Cecile Richards, former president of Planned Parenthood.”