Message from Mary Batson

Hi, my name is Mary Batson, probably the one who's been around the longest of us all! My nursing experience has been mostly in labor and delivery, a place I never dreamed of being a part of for 30 years. (But mostly part-time: 7 children) My original love was pediatrics, but the spot available to me was rotating maternal child health units until I was asked to take an unusual opening in L+D because it was thought I had the potential for being a positive influence for the big changes beginning to happen in OB. My first experiences in OB were unbelievably medical. LOTS of forceps deliveries, lots of anesthetized mothers, total separation of mothers, babies and husbands during the birthing process.It was natural for me to fall into teaching childbirth classes, especially since I was a "naturalist" at heart and was beginning my own family and willing to pioneer for normal birth.It's been an exciting place to be a part of, especially when you can have some direct influence through the teaching. I currently work in L+D, teach classes for the Health Department every month, and teach privately as well. I LOVE mothers and babies.I love a lot of things- most especially God and my family.We live in Carolina Beach, where my husband grew up and where he and almost all of our children are involved in some aspect of being on the water- boating, fishing, diving. My fun thing right now is the kayak. The boys make fun of me because they see so many of them in the water getting in the way of the bigger boats. I like it because there's no motor, no upkeep, easy come and go, good exercise, and something I can do alone if I want. We're all outdoorsy, so being on the computer for 14 hrs of credit will be a huge accomplishment this semester. Why return to school? I guess because it stays in my mind and I know I can achieve more in nursing. If it wasn't for the family priorities, I would have done this long ago. A BSN will give me the confidence that I went the extra mile in nursing to gain skills and confidence in my field. I truly believe in the evidence based research for best practice and already see much of it in these courses we are taking. Hospitals are hugely challenged by this latest ideal that gives practitioners such power for standards and change. I'm excited and proud to be a part of a field that is making difference in the lives of people, and thankful UNCW nursing school is proactive in this way.