Servant's Heart a Requirement for Nursing Career

Sue Dominiack sees her career more as a calling than a job. A nurse since 2000 at Our Lady of Peace Hospital, located within Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center in South Bend, Dominiack believes the nursing career requires a servant’s heart and a compassion that transcends understanding. Dominiack recently talked with Tribune correspondent Jennifer Ochstein about her work as a nurse in an acute care hospital.

How long have you been a nurse?

I became an LPN (licensed practical nurse) in 1981, and then in 1998 I completed the RN (registered nurse) program, and in 2004 earned the BSN (bachelor of science in nursing) at Bethel College. How did you become interested in being a nurse?

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My sister actually talked me into going to nursing school as an LPN. She had been interested in being a nurse all her life and talked me into it. Now, I love it and I’ve continued my education.

What kind of education or experience is needed to become a nurse?

As for experience, you get experience during your nursing program. You have clinical hours. To become a nurse, there are different nursing programs. To be an LPN, it’s an 18- to 24-month program. An associate degree is a two-year program, and a bachelor’s degree is a four-year program. There’s also a master’s in nursing, and there’s also a Ph.D that you can acquire in nursing.

What do you like best about what you do?

I like the contact with people. I like helping someone have a better day. We often see people during the worst time of their lives. But we don’t just focus on the patient, we focus on the family to help people reach a better state of living or become as comfortable as they can in the condition they’re in.