SON Home | UW Home | MyUW | UW Bothell | UW Tacoma | HealthLinks | Contact the School | Search SON | Internal Headlines | Briefly | From the Deans Desk When the Professor Becomes the Patient: Opportunity to Recruit Students Ruth Craven, left, and Heather Stamper Ruth Craven knows first-hand the importance of quality nursing care. Craven, associate dean for educational outreach and community relations, underwent a mastectomy at Group Health Cooperative due to breast cancer in September 2002. But being in the hospital couldn't keep Craven from continuing to recruit students and influence nurses to seek advanced degrees. "I was really aware of all of my nurses because I had some of the best nursing care ever," Craven said. "The night staff especially was really good to me. They stayed with me during an emergency and were just great." One nurse in particular, Heather Stamper '04, cared for Craven following her surgery. Due to complications, Craven needed to spend additional time in the hospital and undergo a second emergency surgery. The two made an immediate connection through their shared love of nursing and as Craven encouraged Stamper in her master's study. Stamper was just beginning the family nurse practitioner (FNP) program at the UW School of Nursing. A 2000 graduate of Seattle Pacific University, Stamper was drawn to the UW 's top-ranked FNP program, from which she graduated in August. "Heather is a wonderful example of the future of nursing," Craven said, "someone who is well-educated and solidly grounded in nursing, both from a theoretical and clinical standpoint. As a professional in the field as well as a patient, I feel fully confident in her care," Craven continued. "It gives me encouragement about we are doing in nursing education in the nurses that we are educating." Stamper appreciated the opportunity to care for Craven. "It felt like a to work with her and get feedback how I was doing," Stamper said. really nice to have her as a patient because she was able to talk about program and be encouraging to me the few days I had her. " During a brief return trip to Craven also worked to recruit a into the new forensic nursing master's degree program at the School of Christopher Murillo, currently a of nursing student at Seattle Pacific University, next hopes to get his master's degree in nursing. "It was our initial visit (the one- shift) that sparked my current interest forensic nursing," he wrote in a Craven. "I want to thank you for encouragement and support." Return to Headlines Headlines | Briefly | From the Deans Desk   Copyright © 2008 University of Washington 1959 NE Pacific Street, Seattle, Washington 98195