National Nurses United

Profile 12/12/06 2:30 PM Page 15 y Example While teaching others and assisting patients who had few rights during the early AIDS crisis was the springboard for much of her activism, Daniel had started teaching long before becoming an RN. Prior to moving to California, Daniel grew up in western New York and first earned a teaching degree. Then a mother of two young children, and feeling restless in the classroom, where she taught special education, she turned to nursing by taking classes at Boston University. Working as a nursing assistant in the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Center, most of her patients in Boston had severe accidents and needed long-term chronic care. Concern for her patients, wondering whether they will be provided for when they return home, led her to look for community resources. Going beyond her duties as an RN, she called public services in the community. "Just because the book doesn't say there are community resources, doesn't mean there aren't," said Daniel. "My approach was let's look and find out. It's not black and white; there are always things to research." These kinds of efforts are a part of her nursing philosophy of "whole patient care," which includes the patient's environment, the caregiver, and the family. The meaning of nursing still comes down to individual patient care, and Daniel pays careful attention to all the details. "You may not be able to fix somebody, but if you make it a better environment for a coworker, a patient, their family, then that's your do-good," she said. "You may be able to fix in some manner by holding a hand, answering questions, supporting a nurse when she's been having a hard time. That's the real reward of nursing—being able to do something special for someone else." In combination with this dedication to her individual patients, Daniel became active in CNA/NNOC to advocate for patients across the state on a broader scale. Around 1993, Daniel helped the organization rally University of California nurses to join the union. At all UC medical centers then, joining the union was optional. With only a small group of 10 to 12 nurses, Daniel tried to convince nurses of the benefits of a contract, and then to pay for their share in gains. Working as a critical care float RN, she was able to flier and reach different people. "I'd ask, 'What are you going to do if you have a complaint?'" she said. Back then, only about half of the UCLA nurses were members, but today, all RNs pay their fair share toward the bargaining and representation benefits they receive from CNA/NNOC. She finds that nurses, once they get involved with CNA/NNOC, want more. They become so stimulated by the environment at the House of Delegates biennial convention, or on education days as they meet other RNs who share the same commitment and interest. It is the same refusal to abide by the traditional constraints, and the same faith in change that has contributed to her activism with CNA/NNOC. Daniel believes that both her experience in patient care and with CNA/NNOC "enhance" one another. Much like she felt about NOVEMBER 2006 her ability to shape patient care during the AIDS crisis, the "feeling with CNA is that we can do that too," said Daniel. "CNA gives me confidence and my patient care experiences give me confidence with CNA." Her large-scale activism that has influenced so many people begins on an individual and personal level. Not only does she educate fellow nurses, she educates her friends, neighbors, and anyone else she talks to. She keeps absentee voting applications in her car and also makes sure people she meets are registered to vote. Often, people who know Daniel follow the organization's activities on the television, and ask her follow-up questions. "My neighbors ask me, 'So what are you picketing for this week?' I got everybody around here registered to vote, everybody in my apartment [complex]. Now, is that CNA or the RN? It's the same hat. It's Kathy." ■ Bonnie Ho is a news intern at Registered Nurse. Profile W W W. C A L N U R S E S . O R G Name: Kathy Daniel Facility: UCLA Medical Center Unit: Home Health Nursing for: 34 years On CNA board since: 1995 Sign: Cancer/Leo cusp Pet nursing peeve: When people like complaining but aren't willing to take action. Favorite work snack: Trail mix. Latest work accomplishment: The number of nurses that turned out to vote on the recent UC contract, and helping to heal a wound after six months. Color of favorite scrubs: I'm home health, so I wear street clothes. Favorite hobby: Reading, going to the beach Favorite music: Anything but opera Secret talent unrelated to nursing: Gardening. I can keep or make plants come alive. REGISTERED NURSE 15

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