Marjorie Beyers, has served as an Illinois nursing leader for more than half a century. Her visionary work in education and curriculum development, patient care, service and administration, and the dissemination of knowledge through leading journals and speaking engagements has ushered nursing through many changes of the last five decades, and inspired so many more Illinois nurse leaders.
“What nurses do for people has not changed,” Dr. Beyers says of the last fifty years, “the caring and core of the profession hasn't changed. But so much has changed in the way we give care and they way we're organized and how we educate.We've made a lot of progress; we solve old problems and create new ones in the process.”
Born and raised in Central Illinois , Dr. Beyers has two sisters who became nurses, making nursing a natural path for her. She completed the baccalaureate and masters programs in nursing at Indiana University and earned her PhD from Northwestern University .
“From a very young age, I've had the opportunity to be in leadership positions. Leadership means a lot of things – getting things done, helping people do their job, helping them grow, and creating an environment where they can do what they want to do.” She adds, “The most important role for nurses is to take care of patients.”
After completing her doctorate program, Dr. Beyers became director of the Evanston Hospital School of Nursing.Dr. Suzanne Durburg recalls Dr. Beyers's creativity and ingenuity in that role, including introducing self-paced, adult learning principles into the curriculum in the late 1960s. “This learning model enabled many ‘non-traditional' students to study and enter the profession.”
Dr. Carolyn Smeltzer, a student nurse in 1969, met her mentor at Evanston Hospital. She cites Dr. Beyers's innovative methods, as well as practical, everyday leadership that helped students keep their momentum. Marjorie was a pioneer in educating nurses in a futuristic manner, both in curriculum design and content, and in the methodology of teaching,” says Dr. Smeltzer. “She always has time to do creative thinking with thosethat have ideas that are out of the box. Marjorie has taught me and others the leadership skills of politics, persuasion, and patience.”
After leaving Evanston Hospital, Dr. Beyers chaired a major effort by the American Hospital Association to address the nursing shortage in the 1980s. The recommendations offered by the Commission on Nursing have presented a contemporary set of solutions for every nursing shortage since.
Her visionary leadership led her to serve as executive director for the American Organization of Nursing Executives, as well as corporate vice president for Nursing and Allied Health, Mercy Health Services, Farmington Hills, MI . She was also the James Dougherty Professor for Nursing Administration at the University of Texas at Austin .
Dr. Beyers is a prolific author, publishing extensively on topics including clinical care, quality, organizational systems and futures in nursing and healthcare. She has served on many editorial boards and is an editorial advisor for the Journal of Nursing Administration.
Retiring in 2000, Dr. Beyers finds she now has more time to “give back,” and currently serves as an emeritus board member of Catholic Health Initiatives (CHI). She also serves on the Christus Health Quality Management Committee and the Midwest Region Nursing Spectrum Advisory Committee. She is a member of the Loyola University School of Nursing Advisory Committee, the St. Xavier's School of Nursing President's Advisory Council, and Sigma Theta Tau International Futures Advisory Committee.
Among her many awards are the Distinguished Alumni Award from Indiana University ,The Ray Woodham Research Award, and the American Organization of Nurse Executives Architect for Change award.
Now that she has the 2007 Illinois Nurse Leader Award to add to her collection, Dr. Beyers observes, “It's occurred to me over the years that the power of nursing is in the nurses themselves –this award is wonderful and I'm very honored, but it's really a recognition of nursing as a profession.” |
