I have been an orthopaedic nurse for 12 years. I went to school at Texas Woman’s University in Denton, Texas and worked in Dallas for several years before moving to Los Angeles. I learned about Operation Walk when Jeri Ward, R.N. was the keynote speaker at the National Association of Orthopaedic Nurses. At that moment, I immediately knew I wanted to get involved with Operation Walk.
Volunteering with Operation Walk reminds me of why I became a nurse: to help others in a positive and meaningful way. My favorite part of the trips is the teamwork. The OpWalk team and the local staff quickly become a dynamic team with the patient’s best interest at the forefront. To me, Operation Walk is the model for true patient-centered care.
One of my favorite memories is from one of our trips to Cuba. The nurses wear nurses’ caps and the traditional all-white uniform, a tradition we no longer keep here in the US. I really wanted a nurses’ cap, and one of the nurses really wanted a set of scrubs, so we traded a cap for a set of scrubs. It was such a touching moment for me.
I’m really looking forward to going back to Guatemala in August. Apart from being a beautiful country, I’m looking forward to hopefully seeing some of the Guatemalan nurses I worked with on my first trip. But most of all, I’m excited to see the smiles on the patients’ faces.
