Texas Press
When you are a child, you will likely have big aspirations regarding your ‘dream job.’ Astronauts, scientists, professional athletes – even superheroes – may be terms often heard. A recently published book is shining a new light on a different type of hero to encourage younger generations to consider a career in nursing.
Stephanie Peters-Monarch is that different kind of hero. As a certified registered nurse anesthetist, Peters-Monarch knows the life-saving practices of critical care workers first-hand as she delivered anesthesia care to Texas patients during the COVID-19 pandemic alongside her fellow members of the Texas Association of Nurse Anesthetists.
Both overwhelmed and inspired by her and her colleagues’ work “during the pandemic, Peters-Monarch found herself wanting to shed a positive light on nursing careers when the idea to publish a children’s book came to mind.
“I felt an overall gloom and doom of the profession of nursing and health care in general,” Peters-Monarch said. “Many colleagues felt this as we sat home watching the news before returning to the frontlines. I said, ‘No young person will run to the profession of nursing as a career choice.’ Because of this, I wanted to do something positive for a profession near and dear to my heart.”
At that point, Peters-Monarch began researching and journaling the tasks and steps to put together a children’s book. “I wanted to educate and expose younger children to the different types of nursing career choices,” she said.
Her exposure to nursing care as a young adult led her to pursue a career as a CRNA.
“I grew up in Bogalusa, Louisiana, a rural paper mill town in Washington Parish,” she said. “I did well in science classes, so my father encouraged me to study nursing over education. I am my parents’ eldest child and naturally had a caregiver spirit. I spent a lot of time with my grandmother, watching her care for her aging parents. After over 25 years in nursing, I truly feel it was my calling to become a nurse.”
Peters-Monarch noted that time spent in the operating room ultimately led her to attend a nurse anesthesia program and become a CRNA.
She first published Be A Nurse Like Me in January 2021, excited to contribute to the profession she loves. The book is dedicated to Peters-Monarch’s sister, who died of COVID-19 in March 2020.
“I felt extremely proud as an advanced practice registered nurse to propel the nursing profession in a positive light,” Peters-Monarch said. “The profession of nurse anesthesia has a bright future, and I am eager to see what is in store for us.”