The Old Stethoscope

My mother once let me play with a stethoscope. I though it was the coolest thing. I could hear things I never thought possible! Who knew you could hear your organs inside your body??! That's crazy! ...At least to a 7 year old.

My mom used a stethoscope everyday and this made an impression on me during my young years. She was so smart. She saved lives and still managed to make it home in time to make dinner. At the age of 7, she made me want to be a nurse. I could think of nothing else that would be cooler. I wanted to be just like my mom.

This phase didn't last long. Soon, I learned of some of the grosser aspects of the medical field. But I still played with the stethoscope now and then. I soon learned of other things that caught my attention and somehow I found out that I was good at history. While I did this, my mom, who started out as an OR nurse, rose through the ranks of hospital administration. She took a management job which led to Day Surgery Manager at one of the biggest hospitals in Dallas. Then she took over as Administrator of a separate Outpatient Surgery Center. While she did all this, she also got her master's degree. Now, she's a Chief Nursing Officer. For those of you unacquainted with hospital leadership, that's the equivalent of a Chief Operating Officer. She is responsible for all medical aspects of her hospital. The only departments out of her realm are financing and compliance. Her office is next door to the CEO.

To say I'm proud of her is an understatement. In the summary above, her career sounds easy - like it was all a matter of time. It has been anything but. She's never been given anything and she's faced challengers that would have stopped me in my tracks. If I'd never seen her outside the home, I would not believe she was a successful business woman. But her goofiness at home becomes animated, compassionate leadership at work. I've seen her in action and she's incredible.

I recently saw that stethoscope - my mom dug it out to use one day. For some reason, I didn't think it worked, but it does.

Happy Birthday, Mom!