Raluca Radu
MSN, RN
Raluca Radu, MSN, RN, has just completed her graduate studies with a study of climate change and nursing education at the University of British Columbia. She is a member of Sigma’s Xi Eta at-Large Chapter and is a recent recipient of the Edith Anderson Membership Subsidy.
She was ecstatic to join Sigma in June 2019 because of all the opportunities her membership provides, like information about conferences, continuing education courses (CNE), and, most importantly for her, connecting with other nurses around the world. Because Raluca has been a full-time graduate student and holds two volunteer positions—events director and president of the Graduate Students in Nursing Association—she would not have been able to join Sigma without the assistance that she received from the Edith Anderson Membership Subsidy. "When I received news from Sigma that I was selected, I felt truly grateful for being given the chance to become a member of such a prestigious organization where I can bring my voice and passion for nursing into a community that makes you feel valued and that encourages ongoing professional development,” she said.
Raluca plans to pay this gift forward by providing a “similar gift to an individual who wants to pursue their dream to become a nurse. I envision this being in the form of a bursary made available in either undergraduate or graduate education, which I would love to give as a recognition for the times when others helped me financially on my journey of becoming a nurse.”
Raluca and her family emigrated to Canada from Romania when she was 12 years old. Growing up, she accompanied friends and family to doctor’s appointments where she learned that being healthy meant not only how you feel physically but also mentally. At these appointments, she always wanted to know more about conditions and how the body works. Down the line, she, too, had to overcome illness. “It was the nurses who I always looked up to who were able to provide this unconditional, holistic care regardless of how busy they were on their shift,” she said. “I was always astounded by how much compassion they carried in their demeanor and how their sole presence oftentimes was sufficient to ease my pain. It is as though I had to undergo those painful times in my health in order to realize that nursing was my true calling.”
She became a registered nurse (RN) in 2014 and started at a community hospital in surgical units and in the rapid assessment area of emergency. She then took on additional roles in a private surgical facility. This experience in both public and private health sectors in addition to serving as a clinical resource nurse at Vancouver General Hospital made her hungry to add more tools to her toolkit. She started her graduate studies in 2017. She is excited to begin this next chapter in her nursing career. “I am ready to contribute to advancing nursing knowledge and to improving our complex healthcare systems,” she said. “I believe that as the International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife continues to unfold, nurses have a spectacular opportunity to unveil their strength and contributions to healthcare delivery, something I am and will always continue to be proud of.”