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Emily Barr, PhD, RN, CPNP-PC, CNM, ACRN, FACNM, FAAN
Assistant Professor, Cizik School of Nursing at UTHealth Houston
Associate Faculty McGovern Center for Humanities & Ethics
ANAC Director-at-Large
Recently, someone asked me who inspired me to be a nurturing person. It was, in many ways, another way of asking what led me to nursing. I realized the power of nursing wasn’t something I found all at once—
it was something I witnessed, quietly and consistently, in everyday people.What came to me wasn’t just one name, but a flood of faces and moments.
Mrs. C., a neighborhood mom, who often drove me to school when I missed the bus after my mom had left for work. She showed up, sometimes still wearing pajamas, with a cheery smile, even when I probably made her day harder.
Sister Nancy, an outspoken nun, who protested nuclear weapons at the Seneca Army Depot on Saturdays and created a safe, inclusive space for youth in the 1980s.
My high school physics teacher, Ms. Nichols, who taught us empathy and to follow our passions - lessons that stayed with me long after the formulas faded.
The children I cared for living with HIV in the early 1990s, and later the kindergartners with disabilities – along with their parents, who trusted me to adapt, love, guide, and educate their little ones.
And my family (Power of Nursing)
My sister, who embodies unconditional love, patience, and grace. (Care and Love)
My oldest brother, with big ideas, a storyteller, and encourager. (Innovation and Support)
My father, who seeks to understand and solve the biggest problems - mathematical and spiritual. (Problem-Solving)
My brother, who strove to embody equanimity through the arts. (Creativity and Equity)
My mother, who challenges the status quo, gives voice to those without one, and always finds the way through with grace. (Justice and Resilience)
And my husband, who cared for his own father with ALS when we were both young, and who is steadfast, deeply compassionate, and unwavering in his quiet strength. (Care and Perseverance)
This is how I see the power of nursing. Through the lens of those who showed up, who made space, who nurtured, taught, inspired, and healed.
We are all nurses at some point in our lives.
It is all around us, the power of nursing.
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