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In Houston's first celebration of National Black Nurses
Day on Feb. 1, Mary Holt Ashley, Ph.D., RN, encouraged
her audience of more than 200 African-American nurses
to adopt "Ashley's B-Attitudes": to believe
in themselves, to break the mold, to blaze their own
trails, to bring passion to the table and to boost their
inner spirits. In a rousing speech, "Leadership:
What It Is To Be A Black Nurse In 2002," Ashley
outlined the steps for the African-American nurse's
professional journey and suggested methods for coping
with racial disparity.
As associate administrator and chief nursing officer
of Ben Taub General Hospital in Houston, Ashley is specially
qualified to point the way to success for other African-American
nurses. She challenged her audience to seek advanced
degrees and higher-level positions in nursing. Stressing
the need for passion, commitment and spiritual stamina,
she advised aspiring nurses to maintain a clear vision
of their desired destinations, evaluating what tools
they will require and how long the journey will take.
Careful planning and scheduling are essential, as is
an awareness of how to cope with possible roadblocks.
Because they are a minority in the nursing profession,
African-American nurses need to be active and self-confident.
Ashley stressed the need to ASK (ask, seek, keep). Nurses
should ask for what they want, ask for extra projects,
ask to join professional groups, ask for a seat at the
table and ask others how they are doing. They need to
seek out people at higher levels, seek higher education
and certification, seek African-American mentors, seek
to be team players and seek advice from others. Finally,
they need to keep up with the latest trends, keep their
résumés updated, keep a can-do attitude,
keep spiritually and physically fit, and keep their
eyes on the prize.
To combat racial disparity, she said, African-American
nurses need to aid in the recruitment of other African
Americans, mentor new nurses in the workforce, tutor
students in order to foster academic success, and publicize
the activities and successes of other African-American
nurses. She emphasized the importance of joining professional
organizations and inspiring one's peers to do so.
As a finale to her speech, Ashley asked the audience
to stand and join her in a chorus: "Say it loud,
I'm black and I'm proud. Say it loud, I'm black and
I'm proud to be an RN in 2002."
Lola Denise Jefferson, RN, founder and president of
the Fort Bend County (Texas) chapter of the Black Nurses
Association, said her group sponsored the event to celebrate
African-American nurses and encourage them to stay in
the nursing profession. Given the enthusiastic responses
from attendees, she is convinced that the association
accomplished these goals.
Contact Celeste O'Dell at aloisie@cs.com.
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