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Interview by
Shawn Shepherd
June
3, 1999
 A
dual-career family is no longer a novelty, but a dual-career person
can still turn heads—particularly when the two jobs are as distinctive
as nursing and police work. Dee Gunderson, RN, a corporal with the
Santa Maria, Calif., Police Department and a part-time nurse at Marian
Medical Center in Santa Maria, has spent her more than 20-year career
hopscotching between the two professions.
Whatever role she’s in—nurse or police officer—Gunderson’s
guiding principle is evident. “It’s my nature to be positive,”
she said. “I think you need to bloom where you’re planted.”
Q:
Which of the careers did you find first?
A: Police work. When
I was a little girl I visited the FBI academy because my dad was a
pilot and he took me on a tour there. The guide talked about careers
at the FBI. The first qualification was being a male, and I thought
that was so wrong. I knew right then I wanted to break into law enforcement.
Q:
What brought you to nursing?
A: My dad wanted me to
be a nurse. I think I’m a good nurse and it was a good choice.
His idea was the seed, and I realized it was a practical decision
to get an education in a career where I could get a job no matter
where [our lives] took us.
Q:
These careers seem very different. Are they?
A: Actually, I think
they’re really similar roles. If you compare a nurse in a hospital
to a police officer on patrol … both work 25 hours a day, they’re
needed all of the time, and both handle quick decisions or routine
tasks. But you have to be prepared to respond and think on your feet.
And you have to use compassion for the small things. In both jobs
you wear a uniform and are easily identifiable—people expect
you to perform a certain function and they trust you.
Q:
Do the two jobs require the same skills?
A: I think that a person
who can be a good cop can be a good nurse and vice versa. I really
like problem solving, talking to people. At the end of the day I feel
really satisfied after helping somebody try to solve a problem or
getting to the bottom of how we can get something done.
Q:
What’s the hardest thing about being both a nurse and a police
officer?
A: The hardest thing
to [adjust to] is that one is essentially a man’s field and one
is essentially a woman’s field. Guys want to be able to act like
guys, and you have to prove that you can handle yourself. Women are
so much more compassionate, understanding—you can whine when
you don’t feel good. They’re just different worlds.
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