I Am TNA
by Karen Starr, MSN, RN, APRN, BC
I read Cherry Ames books as a kid and my dream was to be a registered nurse like Cherry. But, because my mother told me she didn’t think I could be a nurse as I couldn’t stand the sight of blood, I never thought I would be up to it (I think that was her projection). I also didn’t think I would be smart enough for that matter because science and math were never my strong suits. So, I didn’t enter the School of Nursing at Mizzou until I was older and was right in the middle of raising my two daughters who were then three and four years of age.
My daughters, Kary, now 41, and Kathy, now 40, always thought I could do it, despite the many nights I came home from class discouraged and less than confident in my abilities to complete the program. They even offered to let me practice IV’s on them! What support!
If anyone had told me I would be doing what I do now, I would have told them they were crazy. Yet, here I am–15 years in this job, 34 years in the nursing profession, and 26 years at Vanderbilt. What I’ve learned is to never say never–because I also “never” wanted to be a psychiatric nurse when I was in my undergraduate program. When I said “never” it was like a red flag to the universe to bring me just that.
I finished my undergraduate degree at the University of Missouri-Columbia in 1976 as the oldest in my class of graduates. And then I started the graduate program there at the University of Missouri, and upon moving to Ft. Campbell, Kentucky, with the U.S. Army Nurse Corps, began working on my master’s degree at Vanderbilt, completing that in 1983 after I had gone from active duty to reserve status. I retired from the Army Nurse Corps in 2005 after 28 years of service.
Since 1983, I have been an MSN, RN, and I am a psychiatric nurse practitioner and the Director of Transplant Psychiatry at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. I’ve been in this position for 15 years.
As an undergraduate student, it was firmly impressed into my student brain that I needed to become a member of the organization that would represent my interests in nursing over my lifespan. So, as a student, I made the commitment to do so, and I have been a member of ANA, and now TNA, for the past 34 years. I have never regretted the decision to have that 20 plus dollars automatically deducted from my account every month because of all the benefits TNA has given me.
I’ve received support in my professional nursing career, educational opportunities through continuing education, and the incredible camaraderie of other nurses of whom I am proud to call my associates and friends. And, because I am a TNA member, I’ve had the privilege of working with the Tennessee Nurses Foundation and the Tennessee Professional Assistance Program helping nurses with chemical dependence and/or psychiatric problems–this has truly been a blessing for me. I’ve also been a licensed alcohol and drug abuse counselor in the State of Tennessee for many, many years and really am dedicated to working with people who have problems with alcohol and/or other drugs.
Would I do it all over again? In a heartbeat! And, even though I could retire, I don’t plan on it in the next five years because I would really miss the work I do. Thank you TNA for all the support you provide registered nurses in Tennessee.