Erin Prendergast’s, RN, BSN Speech – Nursing Gala:
Where I work: TEXAS HEALTH RESOURCES DALLAS – Peggy A. Bell Women’s Diagnostic Imaging Center
Title: RN II
Good evening, my name is Erin Prendergast and I am honored to be here. When asked to speak about nursing, the first thing that came to mind was…”Why did we choose nursing? What about this career drew us in? The answer for me is swift and short. Nursing is a commitment to service…a commitment to care for others and a commitment to aid in healing…the body, mind and the spirit.
I heard this quote and wrote it in a book that I keep close by when I need inspiration. I’m not sure where it came from but it reads…
“A collision course with destiny is bound to happen when you find that you keep running alongside God’s will.”
And that summarizes, too, why I chose nursing. I didn’t grow up knowing that I wanted to be a nurse. I actually have a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications that led me to a banking career before destiny and my collision course met. It was my husband who recognized the talents that I have and inspired me to chase those attributes. “Why don’t you become a nurse, Erin, he used to say…you’re always taking care of everyone anyway!” Well…needless to say, twenty five years later, this same man inspires me in other ways but always reminds me that it was THE BEST decision that I have ever made…only he may say…he made it for me!
For the past 15 years, I have worked as at Texas Health Resources Dallas in various positions, but the past seven have truly been the best! Remember the collision course? It was by accident that I heard about a position at the Peggy A. Bell Women’s Diagnostic Imaging Center at our hospital when I was having my annual mammogram. I immediately inquired and the rest is history. It is there, that I am able to tap in to what I consider to be my BEST nursing skills – the ability to offer compassion, comfort, care, and, most of important of all, HOPE…to women who are undergoing diagnostic testing for breast cancer. I have been blessed with coworkers who join together to make what can be a very terrifying experience… easier. It is common to hear, what if I have breast cancer? As a nurse, how would you answer that question? Often times, silence is better than any answer. To me, there is nothing more rewarding than having the privilege of being there for someone who truly NEEDS my hand to hold when bad news is delivered OR hearing my voice when I tell their results are negative.
Time will not allow me to tell you about one other passion that I have. In short, I love to garden. For me, it is rewarding to witness nature’s little miracles. I am a butterfly gardener and I like to share that with my patients. Often, I use the analogy of the lifecycle of a butterfly to tell them their journey will transform them, and YES…they will learn to fly! This message of HOPE inspired me to take my career to another level. It was a calling from God that I use my gifts as a nurse and give back to others. I founded On Butterflies Wings in 2010. This organization is directly benefitting the new cancer center currently under construction at Texas Health Resources Dallas.
Finally, I don’t think I’m doing anything special. I’m doing every day what we all do which is the commitment to caring, the commitment to service and the commitment to helping others heal…body, mind and spirit.
I thank you again for the opportunity to share with you tonight and I wish for every one of you, your own collision course with destiny!
The Future of Nursing:
Colleagues, you can be very proud that the future of nursing is being created right here on our campus, in our halls and from the bedside to the boardroom. We recently hosted the Texas Team’s three year milestone summit who’s mission is ” advancing health through nursing” with over 250 nurses in attendance. The entire day was a celebration of the nursing profession, our progress in Texas toward the IOM Future of Nursing Recommendations and designing our Texas future plans and strategies to achieve 80% of nurses by 2020 having a BSN or above ( Texas is at 52%, THD is at 63%) doubling the number of doctorally prepared nurses ( Texas has added over 200 doctorates in 3 years, just 500 more to go), getting to top of license practice for all health care professionals, creating life long learners and positioning nurses on boards to have impact and influence. All these recommendations are represented in our THR and THD nursing vision and operational plans.
Nursing Gala, hosted by Johnson and Johnson
After the summit, several of your colleagues were able to attend the inaugural Promise of Nursing Gala, hosted by Johnson and Johnson with all the donations going to support the Texas Team, student and faculty scholarships in Texas with over $350,000.00 raised. THR and THD had a strong presence at the gala, I was honored to cochair it with Dr. Pat Allen from Texas tech and two of our colleagues were chosen to speak about their noble profession and defining moments of their nursing careers.
Erin Prendergast and Thao Nguyen were amazing and inspiring to the over 500 attendees.
Below is a link to an article on the Summit and Gala with great pictures of your colleagues. I hope your are as proud as I am to say I am a THD nurse, who practices the art and science of nursing at THR. Enjoy!
