Norris Jackie McReynolds Calls for Nurses during Medical Shortage
"I work for honey, not money" notes Volunteer Nurse and Educator Norris Jackie McReynolds
LOS ANGELES, CA, September 2, 2010 /24-7PressRelease/ --There are few individuals who possess such love for their professions that they would work for free if presented with the opportunity. Yet, this is exactly what Registered Nurse Norris Jackie McReynolds did following her retirement from the healthcare industry. Now a volunteer nurse and nurse educator at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Drew Medical Center, she strives to recruit as many able bodies as she can to a field in desperate need of skilled talent.
"I work for honey, not money," joked the vivacious 78 year old during a sit-down interview with Cambridge Who's Who, referring to the personal satisfaction she derives from volunteer work. And as the current nursing shortage greatly threatens the quality of patient care, her help could not have come at a better time. Backed by 42 years of practical experience, Ms. McReynolds is uniquely positioned to serve as a mentor and supervisor for her younger colleagues. She holds a master of science in nursing and a bachelor of science in nursing from California State University. She is a certified adult, neonatal and pediatric critical care nurse, a certified hearing nurse and a certified school and public health nurse. She is also approved to teach credential-nursing and health occupations.
With an impressive resume boasting extensive experience in intensive care, medical-surgical, OB/GYN and emergency room nursing, Ms. McReynolds is able to instruct nurses in most specialties. Perhaps the most valuable lesson she can impart on her students, however, is not industry specific. Rather, she notes, a nurse "should know how to watch her attitude and improvise. [She has] to know how to be caring and also empathetic and dedicated to [her] career." Over the last 40 years, Ms. McReynolds, herself, has had to improvise quite a bit, as well as persevere through adversity. Born to an era in which racism was the norm, she faced discrimination that greatly affected the healthcare industry. As a child, she struggled to provide her critically-ill mother with the care that wasn't easily procured from other healthcare institutions. At the age of 12, she lost her mother.
This inspired her to pursue a career in healthcare. In 1952, she graduated from the segregated Homer G. Phillips School of Nursing, one of the first medical institutions catering to St. Louis' black community. Indeed, Ms. McReynolds has witnessed the evolution of nursing in America. "Nursing has changed tremendously, from the '50s until now," she shared. "It has really, really moved fast with the invention of the internet, television, all of the electronics. It has really changed."
Ms. McReynolds has played an instrumental role in the development of nursing education, having designed a program to help registered and student nurses hone their test-taking and learning strategies. For her efforts, she was honored with the Outstanding Nurse Award for Teaching and Writing by the Homer G. Phillips School of Nursing in 1993. More recently, she was chosen to be featured in "Cambridge Publishing's Top 101 Industry Experts," a publication that highlights the personal and professional accomplishments of its most esteemed members.
"I want people to know that I have a passion for nursing and that I want to do everything that I can to promote it," she said. "So I'm mentoring and encouraging people, even nurses who have retired, to come into the field." A steadfast and committed professional, Ms. McReynolds has little time for personal endeavors. When she can make time for herself, she enjoys reading, seeing friends, sewing, painting, gardening and developing her computer skills.
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