HJAR Jul/Aug 2025

HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF ARKANSAS I  JUL / AUG 2025 49 in outstanding patient outcomes that received national recognition. The clinics were a model training site for nursing stu- dents, allowing team members to collabo- rate and work to their full scope of practice. I hope we one day see these types of transla- tional research endeavors become common throughout the healthcare field. One of my most humbling and fulfilling roles has been serving as a mentor to stu- dents and colleagues who are practicing, conducting research, teaching, or moving into leadership positions. When former doc- toral students ask me for career advice or talk about their ideas, I always have a sense of excitement about the impact they’re mak- ing in the nursing profession. I feel this impact most strongly in the lecture halls and clinical practice areas of UAMS, where I’m fortunate to work with a group of faculty members whose dedication to student success is unmatched. Watching their growth over the past 10 years has been a highlight of my career, and it’s hearten- ing to know that my retirement won’t create a void in the College of Nursing. We have a wonderful group of leaders — led by the incoming dean, Sarah Jane Rhoads, PhD, DNP — who are poised to handle anything that comes their way. Each year at commencement, I have the pleasure of addressing the newest class of UAMS College of Nursing graduates, and I encourage them to commit to two pursuits: lifelong learning and a devotion to practic- ing with kindness and integrity. As I reflect on my career as a nurse, I recognize that these two principles have enabled me to provide high-quality, compassionate care to all patients and to provide leadership within the profession. It is crucial that nurses commit to life- long learning in order to improve the quality of patient care in an ever-changing world. I often tell graduates that they will learn far more in the field than they did while they were in our academic programs — and I gained that knowledge through personal experience. Today, advances in AIDS treat- ment and prevention are considered to be one of the major healthcare accomplish- ments of the past 40 years. All that I have ever learned about HIV andAIDS, I learned after graduation. The second commitment is to practice with integrity and kindness. Most people will receive healthcare from a nurse many times throughout their lives, and nearly all of us will have a nurse care for a loved one. The trust that patients and families place in nurses is profound. The care that nurses provide, and the manner in which that care is rendered, has a ripple effect. Long after patients leave the hospital or clinic, the nurses they encounter should be remembered for their kindness, compassion, integrity, and knowledge. I urge students and graduates to become the type of nurse that they would want to see caring for their loved ones. I am so proud to be a nurse, and I’m excited to see how the nursing profession advances as a new generation of leaders takes the reins. n