2024 Washington State Nurses Hall of Fame — Q&A with Dawn Morrell

Why nursing?

I scored high on the ACT (American College Testing) in sciences but because I was female (in Idaho), I wasn’t encouraged by anyone to even think of going into a science field, and when I enrolled in college there was no money to go.

My husband was in the Air Force, and I worked as a Lamaze certified childbirth educator at every place we were stationed. Each time we moved, the childbirth education association in that area wanted me to be a registered nurse to teach. So, at age 30, we had moved to California, and community college tuition was free. I received my associate degree in nursing and never looked back.

What was your first job?

When I graduated in 1984, there were no jobs in nursing. The Air Force sent us back to Washington. I applied for a nursing job at Good Sam, and they did not have an opening in OB, but they did in the ICU.

What parts of nursing did you love?

It was not until I went to UW-Tacoma for a bachelor’s degree in nursing 10 years later that I fell in love with nursing. Courses in nursing leadership, community healthcare, and equity opened my eyes to the possibilities in nursing and showed me that being a registered nurse was indeed pretty amazing. I learned that social activism and standing up for nurses and patients are forms of caring.

What was it like running for office?

I cannot even sell Girl Scout cookies, so the thought of doorbelling and fundraising was hard. Some days, I wanted to stay in bed with a sheet over my head. My husband would say, “Dawn, people are counting on you.” I won my election by a few hundred votes, and incidentally, I lost a subsequent election by 29 votes. Be sure to vote.

It is a tough game. The medical association came after me because I wasn’t supporting limits on medical malpractice. They used a horrible photo of me on a mail piece that said, “You can’t trust this nurse.” But you learn to ignore it.

What motivated you?

The biggest thing for me was that I would have patients come in and sob because a loved one got sick, and they had nothing. An illness would wipe them out financially. I had a patient who was having chest pain but wouldn’t seek care because he’d lost his job and had no insurance. He died in the ICU.

I couldn’t stand the inequity and trauma of people not having healthcare coverage.

What was it like to be able to expand Medicaid to men and children?

After the state expanded Medicaid, we could back-date people’s insurance. It changed everything for them. It was such satisfaction expanding Medicaid. I would tell my colleagues that by providing people with healthcare insurance and healthcare coverage, they can put their heads on their pillows at night without worry. I told them it was much less expensive paying for insurance than bypass surgery. Preventing chronic illness saves lives and money.

λ Eileen Cody, RN, served in the state legislature for 27 years before retiring in 2023. She was the long-term chair of the House Health Care and Wellness Committee and an outspoken advocate for nursing and healthcare. What was it like working with her?

Eileen is a rehab nurse and would say “Do what you can do and fight another day.” She was such a good mentor.

Why do nurses make good elected officials?

An AP reporter interviewed me and said, “I have noticed since more nurses are in the legislature, we have a kinder discourse.”

I told him we can get up and say very sensible things. We know how to get people to take their medicine. We have dealt with difficult patients and doctors. We put our patients at the center, and now we put our constituents at the center. There were nine nurses in the legislature during my time in office, and every nurse held a leadership position—nurses are natural leaders.

We understand what is important. A reporter called me after I lost the 2010 election and said, “How do you feel?” I told him, “It’s an election, not a cancer diagnosis.”

How rewarding has your career been?

As a legislator and a nurse, I knew that the decisions we were making made a difference in the quality of life for the people that I served. I took it very seriously, and it was an honor and a privilege. However, the satisfaction of being a nurse cannot be found anywhere else.

I worked as a cath lab nurse for the last 20 years—not everyone can go home at night and say, “My team saved a life today.”

I was humbled and grateful to be able to support families and patients through some of the toughest times of their lives. I should have retired 10 years ago, but there is nothing like making a difference.

How would you describe your impact?

I have been a nurse and patient advocate for a long time. I sponsored the first nurse staffing bill, and I helped pass the bill that gave nurse practitioners full prescribing authority. I have been the face of WSNA for 40 years at my hospital, and I am proud to say I left a strong team. Nurses supporting nurses is what counts.