Sandra Mangum
Excerpts from Her Homecoming 2013 Address
In a lecture to college students, friends, faculty, and alumni, Mangum outlined five givens she discovered during her nursing career:
One. Always keep your license current, and work at least one day a week. Mangum explained that nurses never know when they will need to work full-time. In addition, keeping your license current allows you to be available for employment and volunteer opportunities.
Two. Be observing. In a world where machines can quickly become the center of attention, Mangum advises nurses to have the courage to care about the individual and to remember that each patient is one of God’s children. Being a patient-centered nurse will take you far and create joy in daily tasks. “The Spirit will guide you during what seems to be a routine work day. Mangum says.
Three. Have a questioning mind. Be proactive in determining your patient’s care by constantly analyzing what the patient will need next, possible side effects of medication, and other aspects of care. Always read and study research involving your area of work. Be at the forefront of nursing knowledge.
Four. Serve a mission at some time in your life. There are more than hundreds of nurses serving as full- or part-time missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. These opportunities can come at the start or the end of a nursing career. Mangum encourages alumni to consider extending their careers by supporting the health and well-being of Church missionaries: apply as a missionary and designate on your paperwork that you are a registered nurse and want to serve as a mission nurse specialist.
Five. Make room in your life for humanitarian work. Mangum is an excellent example of this practice. Mangum has served surgical missions in Guatemala with the Hirsche Smiles Foundation since 2000, and she continues volunteering.