National Nurses United

MarthaTREASURER Kuhl, RN SECRETARY/ I f there's such a thing as a renaissance nurse, Martha Kuhl, RN is it. Ask her what she likes about nursing and she responds with a list of all the intellectual challenges involved in the profession—challenges the insatiably-curious Kuhl has dedicated herself to mastering. "You've got science—medical science, life science, immunology. You've got ethics—how you provide care, and who gets it. You can be involved in the greater struggle for social and economic justice as an advocate for your patients. And you can teach and mentor new nurses and help families cope with crises." Kuhl's coworkers at Children's Hospital in Oakland, California say she excels in all these areas, but where she really shines is in educating others. "She's a walking library," said Violeta Borjas, RN, who works with Kuhl on the hematology/oncology unit. "She knows so much, and her level of confidence is so high. Just by talking to her, you also become confident." Kuhl honed that confidence early on in life, as an activist in the feminist and anti-Vietnam War movements. She majored in biology at the University of California at San Diego in the 1970s. But it would be years before she found her way to nursing. "I kind of resisted being a nurse because it was a woman's profession, but then I realized I really like doing it," she says. When Kuhl joined the California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee as a rookie nurse in the 1980s, the organization was led by nurse managers and there were no regular union meetings. Looking for a way to empower herself and other staff nurses, Kuhl brushed up on accounting and got herself elected to the association's finance committee. "I thought, we're paying 97 percent of the dues and they're controlling the money," Kuhl recalls. "We can't implement our policy because we don't control the funds." Name: Jean Ross, RN Facility: Fairview Southdale Hospital, Minnesota Unit: Acute care Nursing for: 35 years Astrological sign: Sagittarius Nursing pet peeve: Hospitals spending money on consultants instead of listening to the nurses Favorite work snack: "Who has time to eat at work?" Recent work accomplishment: Helped plan and implement major mobilization effort to prepare for difficult contract negotiations Color of favorite scrubs: Midnight blue Hobbies: Reading, crosswords, walking, biking. She also took second place in the women's division of a truck rodeo. Last book read: The Glass Castle, by Jeannette Walls JANUARY | FEBRUARY 2010 That experience came in handy when in 1992 staff nurses took over CNA/NNOC, elected Kuhl treasurer, and embarked on an aggressive organizing campaign that would more than quadruple the association's membership and lead to the passage of the nation's first-ever law mandating safe staffing in hospitals. Kuhl is proud that the improvements in patient safety and working conditions that she and other CNA/NNOC nurses achieved have encouraged new nurses to stay in the profession. "For a while, as an experienced RN you would train new nurses and they would all leave because things were so crazy," she says. "As staffing has improved, people stay longer and you're not so overwhelmed yourself, so you can provide more mentoring on the job." Kuhl looks forward to her new role as NNU Secretary/Treasurer, where she will ensure that members are well-informed about the organization's finances, along with keeping records—or, as she says, "documenting history." When she isn't working, gardening, or traveling to Southeast Asia, Kuhl enjoys giving the new-hire talk at her hospital, explaining what it means to be a part of CNA/NNOC, and now National Nurses United. "I tell them that besides all the economic data that shows workers do better when they're represented by unions, being in a union means we decide to work together to advance all of our interests as opposed to working as individuals," she says. Solidarity might be a difficult concept to get across in a country that prizes individualism. But for Kuhl, the best way to start that discussion is unit by unit, hospital by hospital. "In American culture, people assume that you just take care of your own—you go to work, you come home, you vote every couple of years and even that is a chore," she says. "But patient advocacy teaches nurses that they can work in a group to make things better for all patients. And if they can change their workplace, then they can change the world." Then she smiles. "I sometimes think I'm a little too grandiose, but whatever." Name: Martha Kuhl, RN Facility: Children's Hospital Oakland, California Unit: Hematology/Oncology Nursing for: 28 years Astrological sign: Pisces Nursing pet peeve: People who complain a lot and don't get involved Favorite work snack: Peanut butter cups Recent work accomplishment: Getting involved in building a children's division within NNU Color of favorite scrubs: Teal Hobbies: Gardening, reading mysteries, travel Last book read: Dancing in the Streets, by Barbara Ehrenreich 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 21

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