National Nurses United

Profile_FNL with art 11/6/10 2:09 PM Page 27 used to be an arm of the American Nurses Association. Over the years, activist, staff nurses like Falwell grew tired of their organizations paying significant dues to the ANA, which was dominated by nursing executives, in return for no representation and basically no say in the group's work. Falwell, as one of the few staff nurse presidents, supported the eventual parting of ways in 2008 between ANA and UAN. And when the chance to join forces with a dynamic allstaff nurse organization like NNU came along in 2009, Falwell was more than on board. Since NNU formed, she said she has been impressed by how much more power RNs have in gaining audiences with legislators and in better news coverage of nursing, citing nurses as experts. "I see nurses "I remember walking into a meeting by myself with more as the voice of reason about healtheight hospital administrators sitting there and thinking, care," she said. "That's good, because we 'If I can help it, I'm not going to let any other nurse are the ones doing the work. Staff nurses feel that alone by themselves with no support.'" are starting to be aware that they have strength. This is huge because it had never been before." At age 62 and with more than 35 years of nursing under her belt, or seventh grade that she wanted to be a nurse. After graduating Falwell is concerned with the future of the profession and in encourfrom the Harrisburg Hospital School of Nursing in Pennsylvania, aging younger generations of RNs to get active. "I think the biggest Falwell moved to Washington, D.C. to be close to her mother, who challenge for us as nurses is to understand what NNU can do for us," worked as a mediator for the U.S. Department of Justice. She found a job at Washington Hospital Center in the operating room and soon said Falwell. "It's easier to go along in your little world, and everything's fine as long as you're happy. You're usually not getting involved became the evening charge nurse. unless your back is against the wall. I'm a classic example!" Her career took a new path, however, after she gave birth in 1975 to her son, who was six weeks premature. Though he turned out healthy and never had any problems, Falwell became fascinated by Lucia Hwang is editor of National Nurse. preemies. "At first he was very small and I was worried he wasn't going to grow," she said. "I just thought I would really like to learn everything I could about these kinds of kids." An RN friend convinced her to get hired at Children's, and soon she was working in the NICU and then as part of the elite neonatal transfer team that flew out to other hospitals to bring back critically ill premature infants. "I just felt like I was at home," remembered Falwell. "Everything about the NICU just appealed to me." To continue her education and Name: Sandy Falwell, RN, NP ensure she was prepared to deal with all kinds of transfer situations, Facility: Children's National she also earned an advanced practice license as a nurse practitioner. Medical Center In the 1990s, Falwell had a brief stint as the clinical manager of the Unit: NICU NICU, where she got a taste of hospital management that she did not Nursing for: 35 years like. She learned that administrators thought nothing of making nursSign: Scorpio es work unreasonable schedules and about the games they played in Pet nursing peeve: When nurses don't cutting nurses' salaries. "That's where I discovered the things they were support one another and turn on each doing to the nursing staff that wasn't right," said Falwell. When she other. Also messy work spaces. spoke up in defense of the staff nurses, she said, the other managers Favorite work snack: Grapes made her life difficult and assigned her projects she could not possibly Latest work accomplishment: A decent working relationship complete. So when a new management team took over in 1995 and she with management at her hospital had an opportunity to return to bedside nursing, she jumped at it. Color of favorite scrubs: "Burgundy and gold. Yes, I do have The year after was the big blizzard and the Children's RNs' unionizWashington Redskins scrubs." ing victory. Many contracts later, Falwell said she is very proud of havHobbies: Snorkeling and cruising ing helped take the Children's nurses from one of the worst Favorite movie: Imitation of Life compensated to best compensated RNs in the Washington, D.C. area. Favorite books: The Harry Potter series Falwell also reports that they have excellent staffing ratios in the majoriSecret talent unrelated to nursing: She performed a few ty of the hospital, though she would like to see actual ratio language in times as a background singer and dancer with Sly and the contract. And she would like to end floating completely. But they the Family Stone. "I called it fluff. I mostly just shook have come such a long way from that first contract. my tambourine and my behind." Because of her leadership role, Falwell inevitably grew involved with the District of Columbia Nurses Association and UAN, which and on the board and cabinet of the District of Columbia Nurses Association, of which she also served as president from 2000 to 2004. As a past board member of United American Nurses, Falwell has been instrumental in shepherding DCNA and other UAN nursing organizations through the formation of NNU in 2009. "NNU has been and will be a conduit to doing bigger and better things," said Falwell. "We have to show other nurses the power of nursing." A native of Chicago, Falwell said that she's known since the sixth Profile O C TO B E R 2 01 0 W W W. N A T I O N A L N U R S E S U N I T E D . O R G N AT I O N A L N U R S E 27

• Cover