MY CAREER
PATH
CALLED TO CARE On the 50th anniversary of Elmhurst’s nursing program, Jennifer Pope ’96 reflects on a rewarding career that started right here.
I’ll never forget Judy Diekmann, one of my first nursing professors at Elmhurst. She led a clinical at a nursing home facility at a time when elder care had a stigma. But what struck me immediately about Professor Diekmann was her compassion for the older adult population. The way that she spoke to the residents and advocated for them was really an inspiration for me. It’s no surprise that I was drawn to hospice and palliative care after graduation.
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For me and most of my colleagues, nursing is a calling. And it’s a calling that keeps evolving. A decade ago, I was the clinical educator at a local hospice and palliative care organization when a nursing school asked if they could do their community clinicals there. I worked closely with the faculty to create a holistic experience for students to look at death and dying and the role nursing plays within that process.
I found that deeply rewarding, which got me excited to work with students. So I decided to pursue a master’s degree in nursing and then a doctorate in education. Today, I teach at Loyola University Chicago’s nursing school, bringing young students into outpatient clinics across the city, including some nursing home facilities. Isn’t that crazy? It’s all come full circle. The trajectory of my career has put me in a position to empower, motivate and inspire these students just as I was empowered, motivated and inspired by Professor Diekmann.
