Topic: Membership 

Linda L. Chlan, PhD, RN, ATSF, FAAN, describes herself as a curious, inquisitive individual. These traits led her to career in nursing, and later led her to engage in transformative research on symptom management interventions.

“I saw nursing as an ideal career path to combine my love of science, curiosity about health and illness, as well as my desire to help people,” Linda said.

Soon after Linda became an ICU nurse, she became frustrated by the limits of her ‘toolbox’ to help patients manage their distressful symptoms, like anxiety. Her curiosity led her to conduct her own research on the matter and found that sedatives and analgesic medications were the only options for helping these patients. This wasn’t enough as patients continued to experience distressful symptoms despite receiving medications.

“I realized I needed to acquire additional skills and knowledge in order to discover and integrate solutions into managing the myriad of symptoms ICU patients experience in order to improve their health and well-being,” Linda said.

So, she went back to school to obtain a master’s degree. While in her program, she quickly learned that she had a passion for conducting research. She began a clinical study, where she tested music listening on critically ill, mechanically ventilated patients to promote relaxation. A faculty advisor, who recognized the potential of her work, suggested that Linda explore the PhD program, which is where her research career truly began.

After completing her PhD program and post-doctoral training to acquire additional research skills, Linda pursued an academic faculty role. For the last six years, she has been the Associate Dean for Nursing Research at Mayo Clinic, where leads and grows nursing research across all Mayo locations. Her work today continues to be focused on what it was all those years before—the development and testing of symptom management interventions to improve outcomes and well-being among critically ill patients receiving mechanical ventilatory support.

Linda understands that to limit the suffering and distress of patients, she must empower them to participate in their care as able. Only they know what’s best for them.

“My two main lines of scientific inquiry are focused on empowering patients to co-manage anxiety with appropriately selected relaxing music or self-manage their own administration of sedative therapy as needed,” Linda said.

The music listening research that Linda conducted throughout her studies and research career has shown to be successful, and it was mentioned as a non-pharmacological intervention in the 2018 Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Prevention and Management of Pain, Agitation/Sedation, Delirium, Immobility, and Sleep Disruption in Adult Patients in the ICU (PADIS Guidelines).

Unfortunately, music listening interventions are still not well integrated as standard care for ICU patients, but Linda remains hopeful. She knows that music listening has the power to reduce pain and anxiety, promote sleep, and provide enjoyment—and she has a vision for its successful implementation.

“I envision a day when an extensive menu of music choices and genres will be readily available free of charge to any and all patients,” Linda said. “I would like to see care of critically ill patients be based on assessment of symptoms with personalized, preferred interventions to manage the plethora of burdensome and distressful experiences endured by these vulnerable patients.”

Linda’s curious, inquisitive personality led her to be a researcher, and hopefully one day soon, it will lead to an application of new standards for symptom management, like music listening, in ICUs everywhere.

Linda Chlan, PhD, RN, ATSF, FAAN, has dedicated 25 years to her sustained program of research. Linda was a member of the Society of Critical Care Medicine's Thrive Task Force to Improve Post-ICU Outcome and is a member of the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses. In 2012 she was inducted as a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing and has received several awards pertaining to her work, including the Circle of Excellence Award, a Presidential Citation for contribution to Society of Critical Care Medicine, the DAISY Foundation Faculty mentor award, among others. Linda joined Sigma’s Theta XI Chapter in 1983. Since then, she has contributed to Sigma’s Journal of Nursing Scholarship and Worldviews on Evidence-Based Nursing. She was recently inducted into Sigma’s International Nurse Researcher Hall of Fame.

As a dean, Greer Glazer, PhD, RN, FAAN, has transformed nursing education and influenced hundreds of thousands of nurses through new admission processes, innovative pedagogy, and modern learning environments, but she spent a lot of time in the nursing field and in the classroom before deciding to pursue a deanship.

She started her career as a labor and delivery nurse, attended Case Western Reserve University to receive both a master’s and a doctorate degree, worked as a clinical nurse specialist at University Hospital Cleveland, and then began her academic career. While working in the academic setting, Greer went back to school to become a Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner.

She was also granted the opportunity to participate in the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) Executive Nurse Fellows program, and upon conclusion of the program, they asked Greer what was next for her. This question inspired Greer to make a change, and thus, she applied for a deanship. She then spent 17 years as the Dean of the University of Massachusetts Boston College of Nursing and Health Sciences and most recently retired as Dean Emeritus from the University of Cincinnati College of Nursing.

Though Greer has retired and is now enjoying her newfound free time, the lessons she learned and the impact she had as a leader have stuck with her.  

While working at the University of Cincinnati, Greer contributed to some major, positive academic changes in the nursing program. The school changed the admissions process to a holistic admission process with interviewing using Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI), developed and implemented student success programming to improve retention and graduation, became an Apple Distinguished Program/School from the inception of the Apple program, transitioned the undergraduate program to use iPads, had a very committed and active Committee on Equity and Inclusive Excellence, and had a lot of fun doing it.

“Being a leader is all about vision, execution, evaluation, communication, and tweaking,” Greer said. “The key is that everyone is a part of all this, and it is not just the deans.”

Greer’s leadership experience as a RWJF Executive Nurse Fellow contributed to her future successes and passion to make changes in the field. As a fellow, Greer was exposed to the importance of creativity and innovation. For her project, she developed an interprofessional doctoral course on leadership that was co-taught with a college of business professor. The course lives on today.

Her experience in the fellowship also led to her to co-edit a book, Nursing Leadership From the Outside In, an innovative guide for nurse leaders on how to develop collaborations necessary to advance our healthcare system.

“My experience as a RWJF Executive Nurse Fellow highlighted that we all had lots of experience and interaction with nurses,” Greer said. “The future of health and healthcare was about pushing that boundary and learning from other professions and disciplines. I realized that there was a lot to learn about leadership from non-nurses.”

Even before Greer found her place as a dean, she was called to be a leader to help transform and advance healthcare, and later, help transform and advance education for nurses. Greer’s transformative work as a leader as both a dean and a fellow will continue to be valued and practiced by nurses and universities. This stays with her, even now that she’s in retirement.

“The most rewarding [part] was creating, sustaining, and recreating an environment where the faculty, students, and staff felt valued, supported, and could reach their best,” Greer said. “I loved seeing all of their accomplishments and the self and college transformation.”

Greer Glazer, PhD, RN, FAAN, has been responsible for more than 100 publications and 220 presentations, in addition to abstracts and contributions to newspapers, radio, and television. She is the cofounder and legislative editor of the Online Journal of Issues in Nursing (OJIN). She was a 1998 Fulbright Scholar in Israel, RWJF Executive Nurse Fellow, Chair of the American Nurses Association Political Action Committee, recipient of NLN Mary Adelaide Nutting Award for Outstanding Leadership in Nursing Education award, recipient of the 2018 American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) Diversity, Inclusion, and Sustainability in Nursing Education Lectureship Award, recipient of the 2019 AACN Innovations in Professional Nursing Education Award, recipient of the 2019 AACN Exemplary Academic-Practice Partnership Award, and member of the Future of Nursing 2020-2030 Committee. Recently, she was inducted into Sigma’s International Nurse Researcher Hall of Fame for her impactful work to transform and advance healthcare and education. She has been a Sigma member for 45 years

Ching-Min Chen, DNS, RN, FAAN, is a nurse, nurse leader, and nurse educator who has been a Sigma member for nearly 30 years and is currently a member of the Lambda Beta at-Large Chapter. Throughout her Sigma journey, she has served as a committee member and as a board member. She became a nurse after hearing her sister talk about her internship experiences. Ching-Min began in the neurosurgery department of a hospital in Taipei and soon left Taiwan to study abroad at University of Illinois at Chicago in the US, where she obtained her RN to BSN. From there she went on to Indiana University for her master’s and doctoral studies, which focused on community health nursing. 

She is also a former legislator in Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan. Though she never planned on becoming a politician, when President Tsai Ing-wen appointed her as legislator-at-large in 2018, she saw it as either her destiny or something she should do because of her own sense of mission. Only the second legislator in Taiwan’s history to have a nursing background, Ching-Min decided it was important to seize every opportunity to draw public and the government attention to her nursing colleagues’ working environment, pay, and treatment as well as public health. “In order to achieve the ultimate goals of community health, the ultimate means is through health policy-making. The creation and implementation of laws and policies is the most direct way to address the health of the public,” she said. 

Even before her appointment to the legislature, she encouraged her students to get involved in public affairs to take care of patients’ rights and to take to the streets when necessary. Political participation is everyone’s responsibility, she said. Ching-Min also encourages her students to experience the political process with site observation at the legislative Yuan. “Learning by doing is the most effective way.”

Ching-Min is proud of being a nurse. “Nursing is closely related to society, which covers health promotion, disease prevention, and care for the sick, disabled, and the terminally ill patients, promoting a safe environment, and implementing research projects and development,” she said. “In short, nurses have played a critical role and made a significant contribution to make society safer, healthier, and stronger.” Despite the critical role nurses play in a society’s health, nurses are often undervalued. She sees her work as helping promote and improving the way nurses are seen and valued in society. “There has never been such an important moment as today to show support for strategic investment in nursing.” This, she said, will help improve healthcare for everyone.

Ching-Min Chen, DNS, RN, FAAN, is a nurse, nurse leader, and nurse educator. She served as a legislator-at-large in Taiwan's Legislative Yuan from 2018-2020. 

Sigma member Juliana Marquezi Pereira, BSN, RN, says she found her career path by chance. She always thought she wanted to be a diplomat, so she studied politics, international law, and languages. But the need to take care of people close to her made her think how much she could help them and make a difference in everyone's life.

After three years studying history and geography at a public college, Juliana realized she needed a change. After passing the vestibular for nursing—an exam necessary to get into a college or university in Brazil—she started her bachelor's degree in 2007 and graduated in 2011.

But then her godmother needed an oncological treatment that they didn't have in their rural city in the State of São Paulo, so Juliana’s family moved to São Paulo City. At the same time, she read a report in a newspaper about upcoming intestinal and multivisceral transplants in Brazil that sparked her interest. She researched and found a multidisciplinary specialization in donation, harvesting, and transplantation of organs and tissues at one of the hospitals qualified to perform that type of transplant. While working on her year of specialization, Juliana was awarded a scholarship and started as an intern at the organ transplant ward at Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein in São Paulo which soon led to a full-time job.

Four years after, Juliana was invited to become the Leader of Coordinators and Nursing Liver and Digestive Organs Transplantation, the first liver transplant group in Brazil. It’s the group’s responsibility to plan, manage, monitor, and guide all patients who are enrolled on a liver, pancreas, intestine, and multivisceral transplant list. In addition, they conduct the transplant logistics when there is a donor—confirming data at the Transplant Center and from the donor and recipient surgery along with summoning the patient and the entire team that will work on the surgery.

Working in the largest Brazilian public hospital complex, Juliana is often exposed to new discoveries and rare and difficult cases, which has inspired her to study and research more to improve outcomes for her patients. Recently, her transplant team performed the first uterus transplant in Latin America. The recipient went on to give birth to the first baby ever carried by a uterus transplanted from a deceased donor!

Nura Barre, ADON, BSN, MLP, was six years old when she made her first nurse’s cap out of a small sheet of white paper and red crayon. She drew a crescent, folded it in a triangle, and stuck it her hair with two little black pincers. She proudly toured the house showing off the masterpiece to her family heralding how she would become the next Florence Nightingale. “It was my dream to become a nurse, as I had two older sisters who were nurses and I used to look up to them.”

Sixteen years following that proud moment, her nursing journey began at a maternity child hospital in a busy pediatric medical unit. From there she rotated for couple of years in different units until she landed in the operating theater (room). Following these fruitful years, she worked as a nursing attendant and went on to get her license and succeeded. She worked as RN for the first time at Rockyview General Hospital, where she gained a whole different experience in the cardiac telemetry unit and grew exponentially. She moved around to two more locations then spent three years at Peter Lougheed Medical Center as the permanent charge nurse in a busy telemetry unit. Then, she received her BSN and master’s degree in leadership and management in education. She stayed in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for another seven years and worked in three different hospitals focusing on nursing management. Barre is working toward her PhD in nursing.

Over the years, Barre has discovered that the key to achieving better nursing care is getting to know patients through good nursing assessment and proper history taking. “A little bit of compassion and kindness can go a long way and put our fellow humans at ease.”

She genuinely enjoys her current position in leadership and management. “I am so glad when my colleagues come to me for advice trusting my experience and judgment.” Her passion is conflict management and resolution. “I believe that working in close to nine institutions and more than 20 units in two different countries over 20 years has elevated my problem solving abilities and helped my people management skills.”

Barre first heard about Sigma from her professor, Ms. Priyalatha at the Ras Alkhaima Medical & Health Sciences University. “She used to speak about Sigma with passion and respect. I couldn't be more honored to join this reputable organization where nurse leaders meet, contribute, and mentor.”

One of Barre’s strongest assets is policy writing. She has written, contributed, and reviewed many policies in different institutions throughout her career. She has managed many nursing and non-nursing projects where health and wellness of particular society is targeted. She is looking forward to enhancing her research skills and contributing more articles. 

Nura Barre, ADON, BSN, MLP, is the duty manager at Mediclinic ME in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. She is a member of Sigma’s Psi Kappa Chapter in the Middle East.

Growing up in the Philippines and having family ties to the nursing profession, Sigma member Simon Paul P. Navarro, BSN, RN, always knew that nursing was the career for him. Seeing his families’ caring attitude and compassion for helping others inspired him to follow in their footsteps.

Like so many growing up in a low-income country, he dreamed of being able to help his family financially while also providing hope to strangers. But what he found out was far from the picture he had painted in his head.

“Filipino nurses in the country, we’re working beyond the ideal shifting cycles or hours, handling different types of patients inappropriate to the number of nurses available, and getting non-competitive salaries. These working conditions are not standard and beyond the international recommendation in the nursing practice.”

To help maintain his sanity, provide the best care possible to patients, and also deal with the many stresses of the job, Simon searched for a self-care solution. Knowing he needed some time for himself to restart and recharge, he found healing in traveling.

“Offering yourself to someone who’s sick and taking care of them drains you as an individual person and human-being. It’s a hard truth and fact that our job as nurses is an exhausting one. We are knowledge workers who are vulnerable to mental fatigue. And with that, we need to find ways to recuperate ourselves from the toxicities brought by our profession.”

Witnessing first-hand different cultures and traditions have enhanced his core values as a nurse—respect for others, being kind, and showing empathy. But when COVID-19 struck the world, Simon’s ability to take care of his own mental health was challenged. All travel came to a halt and he had to find new ways to manage the physical and emotional challenges that cause him stress.

For the first time in his professional career, he struggles with feeling helpless. “Seeing someone in pain or feeling miserable and knowing there’s nothing you can do to help our patients during this pandemic is the most difficult thing I deal with. I am a nurse because I genuinely care about people and want to help them to restore their health; but when I can’t do anything because of uncertainties brought on by this condition, that’s really hard. Sometimes I’ll just ask myself mentally, ‘Am I not enough?’ or ‘Where was I lacking?’”

While he is still finding ways to cope and find his “new normal,” he is certain that there will be a time to travel and resume the life that COVID-19 has currently taken from us.

“As nurses, we have our own definition of success, which are manifested by various accomplishments in our personal and professional life. However, I do believe that being present in the nursing profession during this time of pandemic, either clinical or non-clinical, is the best accomplishment for us nurses to be proud of. Kudos to all of us healthcare providers.”

Simon Paul P. Navarro, BSN, RN, currently works as a full-time surgical ICU nurse and is finishing his master’s degree in nursing at the University of the Philippines. He is also a part-time nursing faculty member teaching health assessment, nursing pharmacology, and medical-surgical nursing to students enrolled in the BSN program. He is a proud member of both Sigma’s Psi Beta and Nu Beta at-Large chapters. We are grateful for his commitment as a volunteer on Sigma’s International Nurse Leader Review Committee, where he checks and evaluates Sigma membership applications of nurses worldwide.

Marthalynn Rodriguez, BSN, RN, is a new graduate and member of Sigma’s Pi Gamma Chapter. She finished her final semester like many students—virtually—because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In August, she will begin her residency in the Adult ICU of Northside Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia, USA.

“Like many parents right now, I find myself in the role of teacher, facilitator, coach, and motivator for my children’s education,” she said. “My routine these days consists of mathematics, language arts, foreign language, and STEM activities with my first and fourth graders. Luckily, I had completed most of my clinical hours prior to the pandemic, so other than my nursing lectures and exams moving to an online format, my schooling didn’t change too much. I am being intentional about taking time to spend in nature, bond with my family, and help others in my community.”

Marthalynn’s greatest challenge right now is that she misses the connection she had with her classmates and professors. They had no idea the last time they were together in class that they may not see each other again. “Not being able to say a proper goodbye or to mark our transition into nursing has been difficult.”

In 2000, Marthalynn graduated with a degree in Human Resources and Human Services. Then she worked as a medical assistant for 10 years. After her first child was born, she became a stay-at-home parent. After her youngest entered kindergarten, she started to pursue her dream of becoming a registered nurse. Her dream stems from the births of her children and her parents’ deaths, she said. They “highlighted the profound role of nurses in both ushering in life, navigating a respectful death, and everything in between. I knew I wanted to play a role where I would have such an important impact in people’s lives.” She finds the most enjoyable part of nursing is working with a talented and intelligent team of professions sharing the common goal of providing patients with the very best care.

Since joining Sigma in 2019, she has served as a Student Leadership Intern for the Pi Gamma Chapter and will serve on the chapter’s Student Engagement Committee in the coming year. Marthalynn attended the 45th Biennial Conference in November 2019. It showed her the many contributions Sigma nurses make all over the world. She is excited to follow in their footsteps. To sum up her Sigma experience so far, she said, “I have been inspired to reach higher and to continue setting career goals even as I achieve them.”

Congratulations, Class of 2020!

Amisha Parekh de Campos PhD, MPH, RN, CHPN, is a nurse researcher, leader, and clinician, who has, like so many others, been professionally affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Nursing was a second career for Amisha. She started working in public health as a program planner and advisor, but she missed the firsthand experience of directly working with people and went back to school for her BSN. She spent a year in a neuro-trauma setting, gaining valuable acute care experience, before moving on to palliative and hospice homecare.

“I am incredibly passionate about the work that I do in palliative and hospice care. Not only do I have the opportunity to care for patients during a critical time in their lives, but I am also able to be a leader and mentor to new nurses, and advocate for this profession. I look forward to using my experience to teach nurses starting in the profession and hopefully instill in them the same passion and drive,” she said.

Her nursing practice has changed dramatically since the pandemic began. She has been asked to help with COVID positive and suspected COVID patients—a significant shift to directly working with rapidly deteriorating patients. Over the years, she has worked in many roles in a hospice homecare program, including field nurse, community liaison, supervisor, and now, as quality and education coordinator. Now, she works several evenings a week on top of her current role, assisting with these very ill patients because of staff shortages. “I am grateful to be able to provide care and support to these patients when their loved one cannot be present,” Amish said. “It has been a quick transition as changes on recommendations and declines among patients were so rapid, but the team of healthcare clinicians I work with is incredible and inspiring.”

As a mother to a 6- and 8-year-old, one of her greatest challenges is balancing work, school, and home life. She feels an obligation to help as a nurse during this time, but her biggest fear is infecting her family. “To help our home situation,” she said, “I sleep on a different floor and try not to share too many household items with the rest of the family. It has been hard not being able to hug and touch my kids constantly, but I am glad I can contribute to care for these very ill patients.”

The COVID-19 pandemic has also influenced Amisha’s research in advance care planning and communication. “Now more than ever,” she said, “conversations about end-of-life goals and preferences are imperative. The fast pace of the virus among the elderly has shown how important it is to have advance care planning discussion early and often.” She successfully defended on 20 April 2020 and now holds a PhD in nursing. She has been member of Sigma’s Mu Chapter for 10 years.

Amisha joined Sigma because she heard about Sigma’s member benefits—networking, resources, and educational opportunities—but found much more. She also “found a sense of camaraderie and cohesiveness among Sigma nurses.” At the 45^th Biennial Convention she presented her research. “Meeting nurses from around the world, discussing programs of research and collaborating was a unique and unforgettable experience. There is a certain sense of pride being among all these accomplished nurses who strive to enhance the profession.”

As she continues to persevere through the COVID-19 pandemic, Amisha looks forward to continuing to work in palliative and hospice care as well as teaching and inspiring the same passion and drive she has in new nurses.

Connection is the key to Danielle Langkaas, BScN, RN. She became a nurse and nurse educator because she liked connecting with people and was interested in the medical field. “I thrive on human connection and specifically being a part of people’s lives during the best and worst times,” she says. 

Now, more than ever, she is finding that connection with her coworkers. Danielle is a nurse educator as well as frontline staff. She is a nurse educator resource faculty member at MacEwan University, where she has been assisting other nurse educators who are continuing courses via virtual simulation as well as collaborating with the leadership team to address tasks and concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Nurse educators now assist theory faculty on marking assignments, while theory faculty create online versions of their courses. Danielle and her colleagues have also set up virtual meetings for work and for socializing purposes with different themes and agendas. She’s on the frontlines as an emergency nurse in two emergency departments—at Misericordia Hospital Emergency Department and Northern Lights Regional Health Centre—and is assisting with normal frontline duties as well as screening for all hospital staff. 

Her advice to nurses is, “This is a time where you realize that your coworkers can sometimes be more like your family. Continue to work together and stay safe!”

Danielle started as a research assistant in hematology research and then a study coordinator role. After she received her RN and BScN programs, she found her passion in frontline clinical nursing in an emergency setting. She spent three years at a hospital in Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada, and was trained for resuscitation/acute patient assignment, triage, and the charge role. She served as an emergency nurse on the team, in 2016, when wildfires caused the whole city to evacuate—the largest wildfire and subsequent evacuation in Canada’s history—and spent the month after working on disaster relief efforts. 

After knee surgery, Danielle was off for six months. A poor recovery meant she needed a position that was a little less physically demanding. That’s when she found another passion—post-secondary nursing education at MacEwan University in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. She began as a clinical nurse educator and has since moved to a resource faculty role. “I love that I engage in many different roles as an RN from being a frontline critical care clinician, an educator and resource for undergraduate nursing students and faculty, and can also pursue global volunteering opportunities,” she says. 

During her first year of teaching, she found out about Sigma and joined for networking purposes as she transitioned from clinician to educator. In the past year and a half of membership, she has been president-elect and now president of Sigma’s Chi Nu Chapter. She has found that membership has given her options for postgraduate programs, connected her to professionals all over the world, and enhanced her leadership skills. Recently, her Sigma membership led her to go on a medical mission trip to Uganda, Africa, because of a strategic partnership with her chapter.