A Major Change

Well, it is for me anyway, major. A couple months ago I decided to go back to school. It has been 5 years since I graduated nursing school. When I decided to go back to school I chose Public Administration as my major instead of nursing or Health Administration. The entrance counselor person though that was odd and questioned why I wouldn’t continue with my healthcare degree and experience.

The main reason I chose Public Administration is because I am fascinated with politics, and have come to see where the power lies when it comes to really changing things.
I have been disenchanted and disillusioned in my career as a nurse. As a nurse I have been working with troubled teens, most of whom have suffered abuse and/ or neglect.

I love the population I work with, however, I have realized how limited my role is in doing what I really want to, which is to *help*. This really became apparent to me when I was working with a young girl who suffered from paranoia and was also involved in gangs. She had no family, was being raised in the "system" and lived to AWOL whenever she could from her placement in order to get out on the streets and live her life with people she thought cared about her.

I spent some time with her, and intervened when the rest of the staff were ready to put her in restraints. I was determined to work with her. I had to build some trust with her. I managed to establish some, only to be hit with reality. When she looked at me and said, "I feel like I can trust you, but it doesn't matter, because you won't be here for me tomorrow, and you won't be there for me when I leave here, so you can't really help me."

That incident brought the past 7 years of my work into a new perspective. I want to work to stop child abuse, and to help the victims of abuse to pick up the pieces of their broken lives and find independence. I cannot do that in a hospital.

I have decided that the place where I can be most effective is in the community. I am not sure yet if I will start a new organization that will focus on the issue, or if I will join forces with a group that is already established.

I feel that the most effective way to prevent child abuse is with education. In order to prevent future abuse, we have to help the current victims. Most abusers were themselves abused. It is so important to rebuild what abuse takes away in the lives of children.

Bringing awareness to the public about the issue, specifically how widespread it is, is essential. Giving concerned citizens a means to help is very important.

One thing I have learned is that many cases of abuse that result in the removal of a child from their home are actually cases of neglect. Many of the caretakers who have allegedly "neglected" children were actually doing the best they could with the knowledge and resources they had. Informing caretakers about the basic needs of children, and basic principles of home safety has a big impact on reducing the incidences of neglect and displacement of children.

I would like to see more people getting involved in their communities. Whether we know it or not, our lives do affect our communities. If we are indifferent, we allow people to suffer unwittingly. If we view ourselves as a part of the whole, and understand that if the whole is sick, we cannot really be free, we citizens can have a huge impact in making our world better.

There is a saying, "Evil men fluorish when good men do nothing." I guess that is what is at the heart of my personal philosophy and challenge.