Video: An Evening with Ernest Grant, president of the American Nurses Association
Who is Ernest Grant, PhD, RN, FAAN?
He is an internationally-recognized fire-safety and burn-care expert who has been a nurse for 42 years. He is the first man to become president of the American Nurses Association—and yet he began his career as a licensed practical nurse (LPN).
Dr. Ernest Grant visited the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing to share his journey in leadership and remind us that with professional excellence comes professional responsibility—nurses must advocate for their profession. The mission of the American Nurses Association is “Nurses advancing our profession to improve health for all.” It is the largest American professional nursing association, representing 4.3 million nurses in the U.S. There is strength in numbers—and nurses are using their voice.
After Dr. Grant’s speech, Matthew Padgett of the Men In Nursing student group moderated an audience Q&A.
He asked, “What was the most impactful thing a nurse said to you in your early career?”
“Two months before I earned my BSN, a colleague said to me, ‘If you’re going to consider yourself a professional nurse you need to join your professional organization.’ She was right, and it stuck with me—nurses need to have a say in how our profession is practiced.”
Johns Hopkins University President Ron Daniels introduced Dr. Ernest Grant with a statement on diversity. “Diversity of the nursing workforce must reflect the diversity of patients,” he said. “Whether race, gender, or other factors, patients respond to caregivers who are like them. And we’re on the precipice of a shortage. We need to recruit more nurses.”
The event included a forward from Dean Patricia Davidson and was presented by Student Affairs and the Men In Nursing Student Group.
Read more:
- Getting to know incoming ANA President Ernest Grant
- Where did your nursing career begin?
- From Practitioner to Politics, with Rep. (and alumna!) Lauren Underwood
- What’s Your “Why” for Nursing?
- Nursing Now 2020
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: SYDNEE LOGAN
Sydnee Logan is the Social Media and Digital Content Coordinator for Johns Hopkins School of Nursing. She shares what’s going on with the world.
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