What Hunter Seeks

“It’s the people who have a passion for what they do that make a difference in the world,” Professor Emerita Juanita Hunter once said.

Her life story underscores her words.

Hunter, the first SON faculty member to be inducted into the American Academy of Nursing and the recipient of the 2017 UBAA Community Leadership Award, spent most of her academic life at UB. She retired from the School of Nursing as a full professor in 1998 after serving the school and the community as both a scholar and a professor for almost 30 years.

She has seen groundbreaking changes in nursing education as well as nursing practice. One of only four students of color in her hospital program, she ponders the climate of the times. Her classmates came from various cultures and socio-economic backgrounds, yet they forged a cohesive group — in and out of the classroom – despite the overt prejudices that existed at that time.

Her voice fills with pride as she shares a poignant story of a class gathering at Bay Beach where she and several of her African- American classmates were unceremoniously asked to leave. Hunter took delight in recounting how the entire class got up and left, continuing their end-of-the-school-year celebration at their housemother’s residence.

When asked about her favorite job, she answers without hesitation that it was her first. She feels fortunate to have worked for a nurse manager who demanded excellence from her nursing staff. A new nurse at the E. J. Meyer Memorial Hospital in Buffalo, now the Erie County Medical Center, Hunter now recognizes the high expectations served to assure the delivery of the quality care. She recalls, “My first manager taught me that by managing and implementing quality, comprehensive care, nurses played an integral role in a patient’s road to recovery.”

It was during her early years of working in direct patient care that she developed a desire to teach and those in leadership took note of her ability. “I learned the important role nurses play in positive patient outcomes.” Hunter took that lesson with her as her career blossomed.

Always an advocate for the nursing profession, one of her most memorable moments took place while attending an American Nurses Association Convention in Philadelphia. A former student approached and announced, “I am here because of you!” The student credited Hunter’s Professional Issues course with igniting her lifelong passion for activism — to become part of the solution when faced with professional challenges.

Hunter’s passion for her work has always been palpable. Her unwavering concern for those who are disadvantaged permeated the early years of her career.

When she returned to school to pursue graduate education, she became acutely aware of the staggering morbidity and mortality statistics of those diagnosed with chronic illness, especially for those with lower or no income. She sought ways to advocate for those unable to navigate the health care system or unsure of how to engage in their own health care decisions.

When asked about her ardent volunteerism, she quips, “The best part is that it is voluntary!”

She remains inspired to continue her involvement as a personal commitment to the profession. She challenges others to follow her lead. “If you have been fortunate, have had positive experiences in your lifetime and are able to do so, why not give back?”

She is most passionate about opportunities for nurses to volunteer in leadership roles.

Hunter is a woman revered by colleagues and students alike. When asked who she admires most, she is quick to say “My 108 year old mother. She lived during the depression and received an eighth grade education but manages her health with amazing wisdom, although she is not a professional.”

Considered a role model and friend to many in the Buffalo community, her mother manages to navigate the process of aging without complaint, remains engaged in the world around her and maintains a positive perspective in spite of increasing physical limitations.

Hunter’s parting advice to students and new graduates is simple but sage. “You will continue to see changes in health care delivery and technology, but the need for quality nursing care will remain unchanged. Nurses have a unique relationship with patients that demands a commitment to provide comprehensive, effective care.

“Always be professional and be proud to be a nurse. I am.”

-DONNA A. TYRPAK