CHERYL McLEAN • BSN ’96, MSN ’99
COVENANT OF CARE
W
hen Cheryl McLean (BSN ‘96, MSN ‘99) was working toward her associate’s degree at the Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing in the early 1980s, she picked up a philosophy of service to others that has inspired her
throughout the years since then. Faculty members encouraged their students to get involved in
their communities, government, and churches, McLean recalls. So in addition to learning how to care for others as a nurse, she learned about giving of yourself. It was a message that resonated. “I’m a proud Jesuit-educated nurse. There’s no doubt about it. That
education base and sense of giving stay with you,” McLean says. McLean started working as a staff nurse at Loyola University Medi-
cal Center upon graduating in 1982. She eventually returned to the University and obtained her bachelor’s degree in 1996. She says her professors saw gifts in her that she didn’t see in herself, encouraging her to go back to school. She took their advice and graduated from the Niehoff School of Nursing with a master’s in 1999. Since 1997, McLean has traveled to Belize each year with Loyola
nursing students to provide medical services and train local nurses. On her first trip, she went as a student. She met a group of nurses from Belize whom she remembers as “phenomenal women” and saw a side of nursing that she had never seen before. She was hooked. Since then, coordinator Judith Jennrich, PhD, RN, ACNP, CCRN,
associate professor at Niehoff, has invited McLean to return each year as an instructor. The immersion program coincides with Women’s Health Week, so the group sponsors a health fair, talking to local women about how to do self breast exams and the importance of
Nurse Cheryl McLean contributes to the health of communities here and abroad
Pap smears. They also set up a mobile clinic for diabetes screenings, and they go to schools to teach kids about dental hygiene and screen for vision and developmental problems. They communicate with the public health nurse, so she can follow up. The Loyola team mem- bers also provide training for local nurses, including classes on CPR, breastfeeding, HIV, hypertension, and diabetes. The experience provides great training for Loyola’s student nurses.
“They really have to think on their feet, because resources are few and far between,” McLean says. Jennrich collects medical supplies to send to Belize throughout
the year. “Even though we only travel there in the spring, the School of Nursing has a year-round presence,” McLean says. “They especially love the medical books and nursing journals.” McLean left Loyola University Medical Center last December after
working there for 27 years, her entire nursing career. She is now a nurse practitioner at Nye Partners in Women’s Health in Chicago, where she has worked for almost a year. She misses her colleagues at Loyola but is glad to have a new challenge. Even though McLean has a new employer, her Loyola affiliation
continues. She is now planning her 15th trip to Belize for this March. Back at home, McLean continues her role as teacher. She has been
a Loyola preceptor since 2001. Students work with her while she sees patients so they can learn about the role of a nurse practitioner. “I love teaching. It’s great to take someone under your wing,” she says, adding that Loyola taught her the value of mentoring. “If you mentor someone well, hopefully they will be a mentor who makes a differ- ence for someone else in the future.”
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