Editor’s note: In celebration of Women's History Month (March 1 - March 31), UTHealth Houston is featuring outstanding members of our community.

玛丽·埃伦（Mary Ellen Trail）罗斯（Mary Ellen Trail Ross），Drph，MSN，RN，她对照顾老年人的热情很可能受到她拜访祖母的享受，后者曾经是94岁。

她期待着那些访问，并与她的老亲戚进行对话。三十年来，罗斯一直在休斯顿Uthealth的Cizik护理学院的学生中激发了同样的爱。

“Older adults have a lot to share with the younger generation,” said Ross, associate professor of clinical nursing. “We can learn a lot from their wisdom and experience, and they contribute a lot to society. They care about younger people, are friendly and welcoming to students, and want to give back.”

罗斯对老年人的照顾充满热情。

“Older adults deserve good care by health care professionals who are knowledgeable and skilled, and who can assist them because they have given so much to society,” Ross said. “We need to do our best to support them as they cope with normal physiological changes of aging as well as chronic health issues.”

罗斯装备与知识和学生creates meaningful interactions between students and older adults. She has created partnerships with Houston-area continuing care retirement homes, assisted living facilities, adult day centers, and nursing homes to allow students to interview and conduct functional assessments on older adults, and to identify needs and concerns of this population. She has also forged a partnership with Fort Bend County Meals on Wheels, allowing students to visit homebound older adults in their homes to assist with assessments, education, and referrals to community resources.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, she has engaged students in virtual innovative learning experiences such as case studies, use of film, simulations, and interprofessional education.

“It’s amazing to watch students interact with older adults in the clinical field,” she said. “Often students find that the personalities of older adults are similar to theirs, and that they are still enjoying life. They get to know the person, and they start to see how rewarding caring for older adults is.”

随着婴儿潮一代的年龄，对专门从事老年护理的护士的需求正在增长。罗斯说，作为一名关怀的老年医学护士，可以扩展过去的医学诊断。这也是要学习一个人的挑战，并尽力帮助他们。

“Older adults are not concerned about getting older, necessarily. They are concerned with their functional ability, what their health is like, and their overall quality of life,” Ross said. “As people are living longer, they have to manage chronic illness, and learn new skills to manage. That could be a new medication, new medical equipment, or learning about community resources that can help them.”

富有同情心的护理人员还采用一种整体护理方法，他们将患者整体评估，而不是仅仅管理医疗状况。

“In a hospital setting, clinicians have a lot of control, but some older adults face significant challenges once they get home,” she said. “They may be on a fixed income and making tough financial decisions,or they may not have enough groceries for the month or sufficient heat。重要的是，学生学习医院以外的生活可能会是什么样。”

罗斯说，她从小就知道自己想当一名护士，但她没有想象从教护理学生那里获得多少喜悦。

罗斯说：“当我决定想当护士时，我当时五年级。”“我妈妈因手术手术而住院。当我在医院拜访她时，我看到了护士的行动。我喜欢她的护士的关怀和帮助。果然，我就读于路易斯安那州查尔斯湖的麦克尼斯州立大学，并从BSN计划毕业。”

While in college, Ross worked as a certified nursing assistant at St. Patrick Hospital. After graduation and becoming a registered nurse, she continued to work at the hospital on medical-surgical units and in the ICU.

Ross said she loved being at the bedside, but she realized it was interacting with patients and helping them learn about their medical conditions and care that she loved most.

她说：“在床边，我有很多病人，而且忙得不可开交，以至于我没有足够的时间像我想要的那样教书。”“看着糖尿病教育者与患者一起工作，给我留下了深刻的印象。他们有时间真正教书，我受到启发去追求大师’s degree in nursing education and administration with a clinical focus in gerontology.”

Ross first came to Cizik School of Nursing as a student. The campus wasn’t too far from her family in Lake Charles, and she was attracted to being in the Texas Medical Center.

“I entered the gerontology nursing program,” she said. “At the time, I thought we would be moving back to my hometown after graduation to work in the hospital setting, but that didn’t happen. I worked as a graduate teaching assistant in the skills lab and as a tutor, and before graduating Dean Starck offered me a teaching position. I truly found my niche. I love academia. I love teaching students.”

2001年，罗斯（Ross）从Uthealth公共卫生学院获得博士学位，重点是社区健康实践。她说这是偶然的。在她在Cizik护理学院教授的23个不同课程中，她最喜欢教的课程是老年医学和社区健康。她也是认证的老年医学临床护士专家。

她说：“今年标志着我在休斯顿Uthealth教学的34年。”“有时候我回头看，我不敢相信时间已经过去了，但这是我真正喜欢的东西，我对此充满热情。我为自己的职业生涯所做的工作感到自豪 - 教育护理学生和未来的护士。对我来说，这很重要，我在世界上产生的差异以及他们在患者和家庭的生活中产生的差异。”

Ross is a member of a number of organizations including the American Nurses Association, Texas Nurses Association, Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society for Nursing/Zeta Pi Chapter, National Black Nurses Association, Fort Bend County Black Nurses Association, Gerontological Society of America, and the Southern Nurses Research Society.

她的研究beplay苹果手机能用吗兴趣，并正在监护祖父​​母。她已经发表并介绍了有关该主题的以及有关她在课程中使用的教学策略的高级健康，虐待老人。

罗斯还赞扬了她的家人，包括重视教育的父母，树立了强烈的爱，决心和辛勤工作的榜样，她的丈夫和两个孩子的爱与支持以及她的信仰，以使她整个旅程。