Ross inspires nursing students to care for older adults through hands-on experiences
编者注：为了庆祝妇女历史月（3月1日至3月31日），休斯敦乌西顿（Uthealth Houston）邀请了我们社区的杰出成员。
Mary Ellen Trail Ross, DrPH, MSN, RN, said her passion for caring for older adults was likely spurred by the enjoyment she experienced visiting her grandmother, who lived to be 94.
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.”
罗斯为学生提供知识，并在学生和老年人之间创造有意义的互动。她与休斯顿地区的持续护理退休住宅，辅助生活设施，成人日中心和疗养院建立了合作伙伴关系，以允许学生对老年人进行面试和进行功能评估，并确定该人群的需求和关注点。她还与Fort Bend County在车轮上建立了合作伙伴关系，使学生可以参观家中的家中老年人，以协助评估，教育和转介社区资源。
在Covid-19大流行期间，她聘请了学生参与虚拟创新学习经验，例如案例研究，电影，模拟和跨专业教育。
“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.”
The demand for nurses specializing in geriatric care is growing as the Baby Boomer generation ages. Ross said being a caring gerontological nurse extends past medical diagnoses. It is also about learning a person’s challenges and trying your best to assist them.
“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。
她说：“在医院环境中，临床医生可以控制很多，但是一些老年人回到家后面临重大挑战。”“他们可能是固定收入并做出艰难的财务决策，or they may not have enough groceries for the month or sufficient heat. It’s so important that students learn what their lives may be like outside of the hospital.”
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。
“I was in fifth grade when I decided I wanted to be a nurse,” Ross said. “My mom was hospitalized for a surgical procedure. When I visited her in the hospital, I got to see nurses in action. I liked how caring and helpful her nurses were. Sure enough, I attended McNeese State University in Lake Charles, Louisiana, and graduated from the BSN program.”
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.
罗斯说，她喜欢在床边，但她意识到它正在与患者互动，并帮助他们了解自己最喜欢的医疗状况和关心。
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.”
罗斯（Ross）作为学生首次来到Cizik护理学院。校园离她在查尔斯湖的家人不远，她被德克萨斯医疗中心所吸引。
她说：“我进入了老年医学护理计划。”“当时，我认为毕业后我们会回到我的家乡去医院工作，但这并没有发生。我曾在技能实验室和导师担任研究生助理，然后毕业之前，迪恩·斯塔克（Dean Starck）为我提供了教学职位。我真的找到了我的利基市场。我爱学术界。我喜欢教学生。”
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。
信仰哈珀
