NURSE WITH A GIVING SPIRIT.Byline: - Addison Pate Every year the American Red Cross American Red Cross: see Red Cross. of Greater Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. honors individuals who go above and beyond the call of duty. This year, Encino resident Mickie Micleu was honored with the Volunteer Registered Nurse Spotlight Award, the highest honor of nursing achievement given by the Red Cross. Awards and honors were farthest from Micleu's mind when she started this journey nearly 19 years ago. ``I got started with an article in the Daily News offering a disaster health services health services Managed care The benefits covered under a health contract course,'' says Micleu. ``I wasn't really working much at the time, so I just decided to take it.'' She was so impressed with the compassionate com·pas·sion·ate adj. 1. Feeling or showing compassion; sympathetic. See Synonyms at humane. 2. Granted to an individual because of an emergency or other unusual circumstances: and caring way of the Red Cross that she decided to volunteer. At first it was a few hours of typing work, but, as Micleu says, ``A typist I am not.'' So, she was assigned to work with a volunteer nurse and helped at a string of health fairs, immunizations and blood-pressure screenings. Micleu, a 77-year-old retired RN, now averages about 30 hours a week volunteering. She is the staffing coordinator of the largest flu immunization immunization: see immunity; vaccination. senior outreach program in Los Angeles County, organizing 20 clinics at 18 different sites. Micleu also coordinates the blood-pressure screening program and the nursing continuing education continuing education: see adult education. continuing education or adult education Any form of learning provided for adults. In the U.S. the University of Wisconsin was the first academic institution to offer such programs (1904). workshop. ``The friendship and the respect of the volunteer nurses are what a person could ever want for a job,'' says Micleu. ``It's such a different thing when you volunteer instead of working at a paying job because you get so much more than you give.'' CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Encino registered nurse Mickie Micleu, 77, has been volunteering for the Red Cross for almost 19 years. |
|
||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion