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    Photo Kateri Allard

    July 06, 2015

    A Passion for Nursing

    Kateri Allard is no stranger to nurses. At age 14, Allard was diagnosed with a chronic illness that left her in and out of the hospital for many months. The young girl who wanted to follow in her mother’s footsteps and become a professional dancer realized that due to physical limitations, this dream would no longer be possible.

    Allard decided on her alternate career path after the time she spent in the hospital, and graduated from Le Moyne in 2009 with a bachelor’s degree in nursing.

    “Nursing was absolutely a conscious decision for me. The nurses that cared for me were smart. They knew and understood everything about my illness and treatment. In addition to the scientific part of their job, the importance of their presence was fascinating to me. As a patient, the nurses you have can make or break your day. I was so intrigued by the impact they had on me, and on my healing.”

    Allard, who currently works as a RN in pediatric intensive care at Columbia Presbyterian in New York City, credits the education she received at Le Moyne to her success.

    “The program allowed me to view nursing the way I do; as a valuable profession, not a job. The nursing theory I learned at Le Moyne did that for me, made this my career, not my job. The greatest attribute of Le Moyne’s program is that it allows nurses to obtain the bedside clinical experience of an intense hospital-based nursing program, coupled with the theory and liberal arts of any other college degree.” When Allard isn’t tending to patients, she is devoting her time to another passion: writing. Allard started a blog in 2012 that has since had over one million views. The blog, which has been featured on the Huffington Post, focuses on Allard’s thoughts, feelings, and experiences as she continues on her professional journey, as well as the fact that she’s “not just a nurse.”

    “This blog started as an attempt to take ownership over my health in a time when I was feeling helpless and out of control. In recent months, as my life has made big changes, I have used it to share them and my feelings related to them.”

    As Allard continues to grow as a person, she realizes how fortunate she is to be making such a huge impact on the lives of others regularly.

    “Everyone desires to feel like they are giving back; making a difference. I get to have that every day while also having my brain challenged. It is professional perfection.”
    Category: Alumni in Action