Nursing
September 5, 2017
Mother and daughter Lynne and Kelly Slauson, share a love of nursing and a passion for helping others. Not only are Lynne '84 and Kelly '16 both graduates of UP’s School of Nursing, they also work together as advocates for rheumatoid arthritis, a condition Kelly has been diagnosed with since she was a baby.
“I have been the patient for most of my life and this has given my nursing career a different perspective,” Kelly said. “It allows me to maintain compassion and empathy with the patients and families that I encounter.”
Kelly, who currently works in an electrophysiology lab at Biosense Webster, has become an advocate and speaker on behalf of rheumatoid arthritis patients. Kelly and Lynne have traveled to Washington, D.C. three times to lobby Congress on the Arthritis Prevention, Control, and Cure Act. This legislature would have incentivized physicians to specialize in rheumatology and to help those living with arthritis.
“It was such a unique experience to share my story with senators and representatives from Oregon and Washington,” Kelly said. “Sharing my story allowed a face to be put to a somewhat invisible disease.”
Both Kelly and Lynne have fond memories of their time at the University. Lynne, currently a health systems manager at Janssen Biotech, even met her husband in pottery class on campus. Lynne remains active with her alma mater as chair for the School of Nursing Alumni Steering Committee.
“My mother was a nurse at OHSU and I was fairly certain that I wanted to go into nursing,” Lynne said. “The School of Nursing was particularly adept at preparing us to think critically and to develop our leadership skills.”
According to Lynne, having Kelly come to UP was a dream come true.
“I cannot begin to verbalize how incredibly blessed I have felt to watch Kelly grow exponentially throughout nursing school,” Lynne said. “The fact that she was at UP was absolutely marvelous.”
Although Kelly’s parents graduated from UP, she wasn’t sure of her college choice until she visited The Bluff.
“When I officially visited campus, I was instantly drawn to the UP community,” Kelly said. “I saw all the career opportunities my mom had being a University of Portland nurse and I knew I wanted to be just like her.”
As Kelly begins her nursing career, she credits the University with helping her develop skills as a nurse and an advocate.
“The School of Nursing challenged me to think critically, to care compassionately, and to be a leader and an advocate,” Kelly said. “No matter where I go, I’ll always be a Pilot.”
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