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Mother Teresea

Mother Teresa, born Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu on August 26, 1910, in Skopje, Macedonia, was a Catholic nun and missionary renowned for her unwavering dedication to serving the poorest of the poor. In 1950, she founded the Missionaries of Charity in Kolkata, India, a religious congregation that provides care for the sick, homeless, and destitute. Her compassionate work earned her international acclaim, including the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979. Despite her fame, she remained deeply humble, emphasizing that her mission was rooted in love and service to humanity. Canonized as Saint Teresa of Calcutta in 2016, her legacy endures as a symbol of selfless charity and devotion.

A lot of girls grow up wanting to be famous, married, or rich. I grew up wanting to be like Mother Teresea. I didn’t know the details of her life or faith, but I was fascinated every time I saw her on TV, and I wanted to be just like her. I wanted to travel the world and help people. I became a missionary at age 12 and was very active in multiple ministries in the church before I left for college and again during college as a watch member at Twelfth Street Baptist Church in Roxbury, Massachusetts, and Christ Missionary Baptist Church in Memphis, Tennessee.

On my way to Christ Missionary, there was a guy who would stand on the corner selling newspapers, his name was Steve. The newspaper hired people experiencing homelessness so they could earn some money. Steve was kind enough to befriend me and remember me by name. I would pull over and purchase him food and drinks from the convenience store on that corner, buy him something on the way, or bring water and homemade food (especially during the holidays). I introduced him to my parents when they were in town, and they, too, felt a strong connection with Steve. They would ask about him each week when we would talk about my experience at church that day.

It’s funny the details we forget and the people we remember.

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In my early twenties, God started showing me people I could help. My pastor and church supported me despite being so young. My mother was a minister in that church, and with that came a great deal of privilege. In this case, it gave me a lot of momentum and increased buy-in for the ideas I brought forth standing in front of the congregation. One of my dearest friends from high school and a graphic designer, now Professor Shannon, lent her time and talent by helping me design flyers and market each idea. It may sound reminiscent of what you know of me today, but at the time, it was just something fun to do.

Lesson: Age is just a number.

I began what I now realize was my first ministry. The first act of service was a back-to-school drive. I didn’t have any money or experience. But I found an example in Pastor Paula White, who I saw on TV. People let me into their homes and their hearts, sharing intimate moments and concerns about their health and the well-being of their families. They trusted me with their kids, even though I wasn’t married and had no children of my own.

Lesson: You don’t have to have experience, you just have to be willing and kind.

When I saw how successful that was, I went to my pastor to see if we could host a Secret Santa for Christmas. The mission? Have people sign up who need help and match them to people in the congregation who would agree to purchase the items on their wish list. The first year was successful by every measure. The second year, hurricane Katrina hit. The needs were tremendous. My secret desire was to help a few more families than the year before and maybe donate a few bikes, but I never told anyone. The church was abundantly generous! In addition to helping more families than the year prior, they agreed to adopt a family of 15 who relocated to Spotsylvania, Virginia from Louisiana. They moved to a home with enough rooms for every kid. By the time we were done, each kid had their entire room decorated in their favorite color and cartoon character. Before the mission was completed, a gentleman came up to me one Sunday and said, “I would like to donate some bicycles.” Every kid in that family received a bicycle that year. I had the privilege of delivering every gift and being the face of the community. As such, I received a lot of the praise. It's a lot like nurses who deliver treatment at the point-of-care and receive a lot of the credit and criticism, we too represent the industry.

Lesson: You can trust people to do what they said they were going to do.

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Who’s Missing?

In church, we talk a lot about going outside of the church walls to meet the people where they are. The people in reference are usually incarcerated, experiencing homelessness, abuse, widows, older adults, suffering from addiction, unsaved or lost. Those conversations are being had on Sunday mornings or during weekly Bible school on Tuesday or Wednesday nights. In both circumstances, there’s someone who can’t attend because they're responding to 911 calls, working in the hospital, at the nursing home, delivering home health, or comforting people in hospice. These first responders and clinicians share intimate spaces with the living and the dying. They work seven days a week, all hours of the night, and every single holiday. They have no choice but to face mortality and morbidity when they show up for work. But how do we prepare for that?

Who Do You Want to Be When You Grow Up?

Most of us are asked this question at least once in our childhood. More often than not, we are told which industries to choose from: healthcare, law, engineering, technology, and finance. As teenagers, we do what we’ve always done; we do as we’re told. We enter healthcare focused on the outcome and output but not on the cost it takes to get there and stay there. We find that an industry promoted as being compassionate and caring lacks the resources to safely and efficiently care for the people who need them most: patients and employees. The data supports this statement: high rates of readmissions, burnout, turnover, and distrust. There are low rates of employee satisfaction, staffing shortages, and a significant number of people returning to school or exploring other specialties and industries because I think they’re looking to be appreciated, protected, appropriately compensated, and fulfilled.

Purpose

When nurses recount their experience, it’s not unusual to hear they’ve ‘done it all.’ You could argue burnout, boredom, income, parenting, or curiosity-motivated job hopping. But I’ve always wondered if it was because they’re looking for fulfillment and joy. Just because you get a good job that pays well, it doesn’t mean it will afford you a good life by default. The definition of a good life varies from person to person. Many nurses are high achievers. They’ve had their foot on the gas for a long time, even before they become a nurse and enter the wheel – which, once you begin, you just keep going. There are no requirements in the curriculum, on board exams, or in orientation to create space for you to find your purpose. You have to make space and then protect it.

Because Everyone Else is Doing It

We glorify so many things in nursing: the ICU, the ED, and skills like placing an IV. The ICU and ED are always glorified as the best places to work, the best places to see everything, and the only places you’ll find highly skilled nurses. My first week in the ICU as a student was spent learning about post-mortem care. We saw so many patients die that week. I immediately realized that if you work with the sickest of the sickest, you will see death regularly.

The Intensive Care Unit

The ICU is known for ventilators, tracheostomies, percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy tubes, post-surgical complications, sedatives, high staff census, strict visitation rules, nurse autonomy, and close relationships with prescribing providers. As a new graduate working in the neurosurgical ICU, I found all those things to be true. Additionally, I also found a lack of mentorship and commanding leadership, and the staff was not comprised of the people to support an adult learner with my needs. I also found out, there's nurses working in long-term care taking care of the same patients with fewer resources.

Lesson: You can gain skills everywhere.

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The Emergency Department

The ED is known for triage, prioritizing the sickest of the sickest, and stabilizing patients just enough so they can be transferred to the next location. If you want to be a dermatology nurse practitioner who works outside of the acute care setting, you will be managing chronic diseases with patients who talk, have opinions, and don’t need you to place a foley catheter. I say all that to say, it’s a lot easier to know how to invest your time when you know where you’re headed. Don’t just do something because someone said you should.

Lesson: Everyone gets one life to live. Don’t give away the authority of your life.

Morale Dilemmas

I was so grateful for the community’s embrace after spearheading the back-to-school drive and Secret Santa. I was just beginning to gain traction when I decided to return to school and study biomedical engineering with a concentration on devices (I really wanted to build something). While I was excited to move to Boston, I was equally devasted to leave home because I felt like I was abandoning the very people who trusted me. God reassured me that by pursuing further education and life experience, I would be a better resource. With that recognition, I left.

Lesson: You Can’t Stay if You Want to Grow

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Boston Dreams

Boston turned out to be the best decision I could have ever made. I shared memories with my parents, who met and fell in love there. I decided to pursue nursing. I met a dear friend who would later introduce me to the love of my life. I developed study strategies that helped me become a strong student and guide others to do the same – a journey that laid the foundation for what has become Mahogany Dermatology Nursing | Education | Research. In the solitude of being alone in a city, I found my voice.

Mahogany Dermatology Nursing | Education | Research

Mahogany Dermatology serves to increase access to dermatology education and training for nurses, nurse practitioners, and students with an emphasis on skin of color. We seek to provide strategies for successful transitions, to foster community for encouragement, and to create safe spaces for nurses, nurse practitioners, and students to thrive in and outside of clinic walls. My sole focus is to ensure that the time you invested, the sacrifices you made, and the opportunities you missed will not be in vain. To ensure you can create the life you worked so hard for and leverage your expertise in a way that elevates our profession and brings meaning to your life.

Ministry & Medicine

What I thought was the long road, was God being so intentional about every layer of my life. When I look back over my life, I realize He was weaving together a tapestry of experiences that needed to be molded, mended, and intentionally placed so that the next layer could be molded, mended, and intentionally placed in the right position for the following layer to be molded, mended, and intentionally placed and that’s where I found you. You showed up in my life and revealed that all those layers, cities, trials, disappointments, sacrifices, and prayers were for a greater purpose than my own. I am so grateful for you. For your stories, your trust, your respect. As God speaks life into me, you give me breath, motivation, and purpose.

I pray we can do the same for you.

We put ministry in a box like we put nursing in a box. But God has shown me that my ministry was born before I was even here. He has entrusted me with you. You’re someone’s daughter, son, husband, wife, cousin, brother, sister, and neighbor. You have emotions. Dreams. Scars. Fears. Ideas. I’m here to serve you in ways you can’t Google, and that won’t be in any textbook. I’m here to encourage you that you made the right decision. He’ll never leave you nor forsake you, and the life you seek is in the hands He has given you.

He Heals

By all accounts, it may appear on the outside that we heal. But the truth is, God heals. Yes, He has allowed us to acquire knowledge, obtain skills to repair the human body, and blessed us with the power to make decisions. But He heals. The responsibility of thinking we are in control of life and death is too great for mankind. Think about the toll this can take on your mind, body, and family if you spend your whole career thinking this way. If you relinquish that power and hold on to what is within your control, think about how much lighter your walk will become. Think about how much more fruitful your touch will be. Think about how much more you will be able to do. You can seek spiritual guidance wherever you choose. While it is not mandated for certification or licensure, I do think it is essential if you want to be a nurse. My name is Dr. Kimberly Madison, DNP, and my ministry is medicine.

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Kimberly Madison, DNP, AGPCNP-BC

I am a nurse practitioner entrepreneur who specializes in dermatology nursing education and research with an emphasis on skin of color. I created this blog to share my journey as a source of motivation and as a blueprint, as you embark on your journey. Most importantly, I’m looking forward to increasing access to dermatology education and clinical training for aspiring and practicing nurse practitioners. I invite you to view the mission and vision statement on the homepage to see how we can best partner to make our dreams align.