As the first calendar year of the COVID-19 pandemic came to a close, Indiana University School of Nursing graduate student and Goshen Hospital ICU head nurse Julie Jacobsen had a choice to make.
She received a request from Randy Christophel, president and CEO of Goshen Hospital, to present at the first Candid COVID Conversation hosted by officials in Elkhart County, Indiana. If Jacobsen agreed, she'd have just one week to prepare to discuss publicly the difficult realities of COVID-19 in her ICU.
Jacobsen decided to turn hope into action. "IUSON has given me the foundational knowledge and skills to be an active participant in nursing advocacy within my community."
Jacobsen reached out to Dr. Sharron Crowder, IUSON associate clinical professor, for help preparing for the presentation. Crowder writes: "It was easy because Julie is passionate about her nursing role, committed to decreasing COVID-19 in the Goshen area and eager to learn!"
Like many of her fellow nurses around the world, Jacobsen says her passion for nursing comes from her love for people and her desire to promote wellness and relieve suffering.
"I grew up in Quito, Ecuador, in South America, and there, I saw missionary nurses and doctors give their lives to help fight disease and cure illness," says Jacobsen. "They taught me how to love, show compassion and serve humanity. Through their example, I developed my personal nursing values of dignity, respect, compassion and excellence in all that I do."
I grew up in Quito, Ecuador, in South America, and there, I saw missionary nurses and doctors give their lives to help fight disease and cure illness. They taught me how to love, show compassion and serve humanity.”
Crowder says Jacobsen's presentation was impressive. She received accolades from hospital administrators and community leaders, along with requests from local news media.
"In my experience as an ICU nurse for 22 years, I have never seen one disease infiltrate an ICU like COVID-19 has," she told WNDU, the NBC affiliate in South Bend, Indiana.
As the months went on, Jacobsen found herself continuing to speak out in support of masking and vaccines. She also provided Spanish-speaking accounts of the scenes unfolding daily in her ICU to the Latino community.
Jacobsen credits IUSON with helping her grow into her role as an active participant in nursing advocacy.
"Because of the academic rigor and exceptional teaching at IUSON, each course has helped me grow both personally and professionally so that I'm prepared to be a part of a health care team and improve the health of my community," says Jacobsen.
Because of the academic rigor and exceptional teaching at IUSON, each course has helped me grow both personally and professionally so that I'm prepared to be a part of a health care team and improve the health of my community."
A graduate student in the family nurse practitioner track, she is a member of Dr. Crowder's Eagle Mentorship Program and the 11th Legislative Fellow for IUSON at the Indiana Statehouse.
"The fellowship has given me the opportunity to better understand health policy and the legislative process so that I can be a more effective nurse leader and advocate."
Additional media stories following Jacobsen's nursing advocacy are available through local ABC affiliate ABC57, NPR affiliate WVPE and the Goshen News.