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Family supports graduate for nursing life by Heather Woolwine Public Relations A Burmese proverb says, “In time of test, family is best.” If nursing school is one large test meant to prepare nurses for a bevy of patient situations, then family support is the study guide necessary to making the grade.   Registered nurse Olando Singletary with daughter  Shai’yann and wife, Aisha. Olando Singletary’s love for his family, wife, Aisha, and 4-year-old daughter, Shai’yann, was evident as he spoke of his journey through the accelerated bachelor’s degree in the nursing program through the MUSC College of Nursing. “I love them so much and I’m just so thankful that they’ve been so supportive of me,” Singletary said. “My daughter has been pretty cute about it. Every time she gets a little boo-boo, I hear her call out, ‘Nurse! Nurse!’ And she tells me that she needs the nurse, me, to look at it. She likes to wear my stethoscope, too.”   Prior to making his way to graduation this year, the Sumter native worked as a fitness coordinator and in the audio-visual department at the College of Charleston. He’d always toyed with the idea of health care or physical fitness as a career, but it wasn’t until five years after he completed his undergraduate degree in 2001 that he decided where his place in the health care arena might be. “I noticed that nurses were always there, from beginning to end, while I worked part-time as a rehabilitation technician,” he said. “I liked that nurses were always there, and the deep respect and trust that occurs between nurse and patient. As a patient, you become dependent and you rely on that nurse to care for you. I want to be that person that patients know they are in good hands when they are with me.”   With conviction firmly in place, Singletary began to orchestrate the challenging balance among part-time work at the College of Charleston, studying, and his relationship with his family. “I’m very family-oriented so other things had to go in the place of making time to study and be there for them when I could,” he explained. “It was hard sometimes to not watch the late night games, and trying to do online coursework with a 4-year-old doesn’t always work. She’d say ‘Daddy, look at this,’ or ‘Daddy, please help me with this,’ and it was hard to tell her ‘no,’ if I even could. I prefer the traditional classroom setting versus online for that reason in particular.”   Support and encouragement from classmates and CON faculty also factored into Singletary’s success. Entering a female-dominated field could have been intimidating, even cumbersome for some men, but Singletary said that he never felt anything but a warm reception from his colleagues and fellow students while in the program. “I never got that feeling from anyone, that ‘he shouldn’t be here’ attitude. I never had a patient say ‘no,’ that they weren’t comfortable with a male nurse. Every day in the program was so rewarding; really, every day was a breath of fresh air.”   Like many students, however, Singletary remembers one patient from his training who will stay with him. “I was doing my clinical rotation in labor and delivery and I was working with my first post-partum patient. I followed her through labor, then the birthing phase. During all that time, she really leaned on me for support because of all the major personal issues she was going through. In a 12-hour shift, she affected me for the rest of my life. I thought I was just doing what I was supposed to, what I was training for. I realized when she brought me a picture of her new daughter, Sydney, that I had really impacted her. It was just so amazing that we created that bond in such a short time,” he said.   “I have worked with Olando and found him to be one of the most well-rounded students I’ve encountered in teaching,” said Nancy Duffy, R.N., CON clinical instructor. “He is always striving to improve, whether it’s patient care issues or just lifelong learning. He is comfortable being the nurse and is able to anticipate what the patient or family may actually need. He isn’t afraid to speak up and let the team know what his concerns are. This is the nurse you want at the bedside. He is calm, projects a very professional image, is quick to smile, and the patients love him. Every clinical evaluation indicated his potential for significantly impacting the profession of nursing.”   Mardi Long, CON student liaison, echoed Duffy’s remarks: “His optimism is contagious, and people are naturally drawn to him. Patients and their families will benefit from his intelligence, integrity and compassion.”   During the hectic pace of his training, Singletary said his perfectionism helped keep him burning the midnight oil, even when all he wanted was to collapse and RELAX with his family. “You have to find that balance because you are training to someday have people’s lives in your hands. I had to be sure I knew what I was doing. I guess I’m more of a giving kind of person, and if I’m giving something, I want to give my best,” he said.   In addition to his immediate family, Singletary’s extended family and parents were  ecstatic about his new career choice and are as anxious as he is to get started. Currently, Singletary is pursuing his job options, with a promising connection at Roper Hospital’s cardiovascular intensive care unit. “It looks like a great place to work as a team and a good place to start as I progress into the profession,” he said. Already on his mind is applying to the nurse anesthesia program in three to four years. “I just tried to take it all in stride, the good and the bad, and tried to remember that you’re not always going to get the ‘A,’ but that the important thing was to retain information so you could apply it. I feel so blessed to be doing something I love and to have the wonderful supportive family that encourages that in me. I’m really just a regular person.”   Singletary received the Outstanding BSN Student Award May 16. Olando couldn’t have made it without: 1. My family and friends 2. Prayer 3. Mountain Dew (I need to invest) 4. Camaraderie within my program 5. Keeping my eye on the prize     Friday, May 18, 2007 Catalyst Online is published weekly, updated as needed and improved from time to time by the MUSC Office of Public Relations for the faculty, employees and students of the Medical University of South Carolina. Catalyst Online editor, Kim Draughn, can be reached at 792-4107 or by email, catalyst@musc.edu. Editorial copy can be submitted to Catalyst Online and to The Catalyst in print by fax, 792-6723, or by email to catalyst@musc.edu. To place an ad in The Catalyst hardcopy, call Island Publications at 849-1778, ext. 201.