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Profile:1 3/17/08 10:17 AM Page 18 Celebrating Advocacy CNA/NNOC honors the life and work of colleague hedy dumpel, rn, jd A room full of nurses buzzes with the Shortly thereafter, the staff nurses successfully took control of the subdued conversation of an early morn- nurses' union. Dumpel was the revitalized organization's first new ing. Some of them, used to having been hire, as the Director of Nursing Practice and Patient Advocacy. awake and at work for several hours by Dumpel's success in connecting with nurses to realize their own this point, talk clearly and quickly, with personal power through education is unparalleled in the modern labor wide eyes and energetic hand move- movement. "Hedy is synonymous with advocacy," DeMoro confirmed. ments. Others shuffle, bleary-eyed and "Hedy is a leader, an educator, and an internationally renowned yawning, to the coffee pots on the back expert on nursing practice," CNA/NNOC Southern California Direccounter to self-caffeinate in preparation tor Jill Furillo, RN said. "Yet, she has never tried to distance herself for the day's education credits. from her roots as a direct-care RN. Rather, she has embraced this as A woman with a shock of short black hair purposefully strides an identity of which she is enormously proud, and consistently through the room, places herself in front of the reminds all RNs to not allow themselves to be crowd, and surveys the nurses with a surprisremoved from their patients. It is this core belief ingly intense gaze. She begins speaking and system that guides her work." "In the years that within moments the atmosphere of the room Kathy Carder, RN, CNA/NNOC Nursing we have spent has changed: The conversation transforms into Practice Representative, agreed: "She's world together on the road a rapt silence, and the fog of drowsiness lifts to famous—nurses admire her because she teaches for CNA/NNOC, reveal an audience completely submerged in us how to advocate for our patients. She never we have always the topics and concepts presented to them by lets patient advocacy stay away: It's always at the laughed and danced. the speaker. center of everything she teaches us." It is the best way That speaker is Hedy Dumpel, RN, JD, CNA/ Furillo and Carder do not exaggerate in referto have a nurse NNOC's National Chief Director of Nursing ring to Dumpel's international acclaim. A naturevolution, on Practice and Patient Advocacy. In February, she ral-born globetrotter, Dumpel lived in both that we instinctively turned 65, an event that is recognized with joy Indonesia and the Netherlands before making agree. This and gratitude by her peers in the national nurses' her home in the United States, and still "travels organization is movement. Dumpel is known by nurse memthe world on our behalf," according to DeMoro. privileged to have and bers mainly for her electrifying classes and ad"She represents us in the full scope of what it to have had the dresses, punctuated with dry wit and concluding means to be an international diplomat and unique and incredible with an energized and empowered crowd. But staunch advocate. She has a background that is Hedy Dumpel." she is also a seasoned union fighter, nurse acsteeped in international affairs, modern U.S. cul—CNA/NNOC EXECUTIVE tivist, and lawyer. As Dumpel herself might say, ture, and the embodiment of nursing." DIRECTOR ROSE ANN DEMORO using a phrase she picked up while organizing "Wherever you find an uprising of RNs fightTexas nurses, "Honey, this ain't my first rodeo." ing to protect practice and patients, you'll find CNA/NNOC Executive Director Rose Ann DeMoro has fought Hedy Dumpel," said CNA/NNOC Legal Counsel Jim Eggleston."Whermany battles side by side with Dumpel over the course of "23 inspired ever you don't, know that Hedy will be there soon." years." Her favorite memory of Dumpel centers around the earlyNever make the mistake of thinking, however, that an internation1990s fight for staff nurses to take control of their union. "The nurse al diplomat with an outstanding reputation in her field is, by definiadministrators and hospital executives had taken over our organiza- tion, dour or mechanical. Of the various descriptions assigned to tion, and we were picketing outside," said DeMoro. "Obviously Dumpel by coworkers, nurses, and others, the word "charismatic" is unclear on the concept, the nurse managers decided to counter-pick- uttered by all at one point or another. "When Hedy walks into a room, et, which only had the effect of making our group look larger. Hedy the room illuminates," said DeMoro, who has bestowed upon Dumpel was not working for CNA at the time, but showed up at the building the affectionate and honorific title of CNA/NNOC's "rock star." to join the picket. The management group ran over to Hedy and tried Dumpel's talks and continuing education classes have earned a to hand her one of their picket signs. She stepped back and gave them reputation and a healthy following among nurse communities across her all-discerning laugh, cocked her right eyebrow, and said, as she the country. "Hedy underscores the importance of protecting the often will, 'I don't think so,' and walked over to join our line." nursing profession and advocating for patients by highlighting the 18 REGISTERED NURSE W W W. C A L N U R S E S . O R G MARCH 2008