"In nursing, the possibilities are endless"
"In nursing, the possibilities are endless." True words spoken by Dr. Lan Gien, when she addressed new nursing graduates last October, after being named professor emeritus at fall convocation, 2013. Dr. Gien is the school's first professor emeritus.
During the School of Nursing's annual fall graduation ceremony, she delivered a speech that was not only entertaining and funny; it was full of good, practical advice.
So as another group of nursing students prepares to launch their careers, we wanted to share with you! It is a treat!
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I am honoured to say a few words today! I was asked to do so, perhaps, because I have more years in life and especially I have worked many years in nursing and may have learned a few things during those years and I like to leave them with you.
In the past few days I wonder what could I say that is different from many speeches that you have heard before from successful people, from your teachers and parents. So I googled for a few tips. Here are some good tips:
The talk should focus on you, the graduates, to honor your day
Keep it under 18 minutes! No problem, I am given 5 minutes
Throw in a few jokes to keep you awake.
First, this is your day! CONGRATULATIONS! The degree, the paper you received this morning marks a good beginning. That's why we called it "commencement"!
One good thing for sure is that you or your parents don't have to pay tuition anymore or at least for a while. The degree you received will open doors. In Nursing, the possibilities are endless. The knowledge and skills you learned in the past few years, although basic, will be useful, applicable in any situation you find yourself in, whether it is taking care of your own family or working in any health care area.
You will have many choices, either working with various age groups or in different care situations, at any geographical location, locally, nationally or internationally. Wherever there are people, there is health care, there is nursing and you are very much needed! Especially in a few years, there will be many people older than 65 and will need your help at a certain point in life!
Having said that, opportunity alone does not guarantee success! I analyzed the graduation speeches of many well-known individuals and the common theme they suggested to the new graduates is working hard and follow two letter p's, for having passion (meaning to get excited about something) and having perseverance (meaning tenacity or ability to stay with it). These two ps will lead to third p, which are possibilities!
Some of you may already have plan for your next step in life. For those who are not sure yet, don't worry, as it takes time to find yourself. Many great people did not know what they wanted to do when they started out. The key is being flexible and adaptable! So you can map your life trajectory as you like, but do it in pencil!
When I completed my BN program, I had no idea that would be in NL! I didn't even know where it was! I was a newlywed working in Paris, France and loved it there.
My husband was offered a faculty position at MUN, so we like to have some information about the place, but the immigration officer wouldn't give us any.
There was no google at that time so we looked in the Webster dictionary and it said that St John's is on the same latitude as Paris, France. So we thought that's good enough, let's go!
When I got here, I found people have the same fashion as those in the states where I studied and the nursing school used the same Medical-Surgical book (now called "Care of the Adults") as the text I had before. I was asked to teach and that was my first teaching job!
I worked very hard at it and I loved it! I liked the people, the students and the rest is history! What I want to say is life may not turn out as you have planned it! But don't be afraid to seize the opportunities and follow the letter ps that I mentioned before.
One more thing, don't wait for someone to hand you a perfect job as no job is perfect and no one is perfect. You should make the job interesting for yourself. Do extra things to spice it up, enrich it with your new ideas and actions to make it unique and you will like it much more.
Go beyond what is expected of you and doors will open up. There are times that you will fail, but failure is the lesson for future success. Learn from it and try again! So you have not completed your learning yet!
As you progress in life, some doors may close on you, but don't give up. If the front door is closed, check the back door. If the back door is also closed, try the side door or the window. If the window is too high up, get some help or use the step stool or the ladder! Thus, when there is a will, there is a way! That guideline has worked for me and I hope that it will work for you.
Tomorrow, you will go in different directions. You may not see some of your classmates again. So please stay connected with your fellow graduates. In 30 or 40 years from now, I am sure many of you will have some fond memories of your student days. Friends you made during the school years are true friends. So keep in touch and treasure your class picture. If you don't like your picture today, you will like it a lot 20 years from now.
CONGRATULATIONS again and best of luck for your future endeavors!
Thank you for listening!