When Dale Beatty, DNP, RN, the chief nursing officer and vice president of patient care services at Stanford Health Care, describes his core values and what drew him to the profession of nursing, he gives one person a lot of credit -- his mother.
Beatty is one of five children raised by his mother, a single head of household who worked full-time as an occupational health nurse at a steel mill near their home in Massillon, Ohio. Given these circumstances, you'd think he'd describe his early years as tough. Yet, in his 1:2:1 podcast conversation with host Paul Costello, he describes his childhood as anything but.
"It's funny," Beatty said. "I never looked at it as tough because it's all I ever knew. We had a lot of support, we had a lot of love. For me, I don't think of it as tough. From my mother's perspective, it might have been a little bit different, but we had a lot of fun and a had lot of opportunity along the way as well."
The support, love and community Beatty received from his mother and the people in his hometown had a positive and lasting impact on him. "What still resonates with you, what will always be a part of you from the Midwest?" Costello asked.
"A big part of my values circle around people, being part of community and participating actively. I think it's what drew me to the profession of nursing. The notion that it is part of community and that you are providing a service for others and are caring for others. For me that's meaningful and brings great gratification."
A career in nursing seems like perfect fit for Beatty's values and interests, but until his mother called this to his attention, he didn't realize it.
In primary and secondary school Beatty focused on the arts, band and theater. "I launched myself into college, and couldn't figure out what I wanted to do with my career," Beatty said. "I started working in a nursing home... and my mother said, 'You seem to enjoy working in a nursing home, why don't you go into nursing?'"
Beatty had found his passion. He recalls that pivotal moment in his career saying, "the rest has taken care of itself. I've had 32 years as a nurse and I've very much enjoyed it."
The entire podcast is well worth a listen.
Photo by pixel2013
