2024 Washington State Nurses Hall of Fame — Q&A with Judi Lyons

Talk a little more about your life growing up?

I grew up in Ellensburg. My dad was a gunsmith. We had guns in every corner of the house. And my dad made bullets from black powder that was stored in cans. He would sit on his hospital bed and talk to people about their gun problems. He remodeled guns so that people could shoot better. He had a small gun shop extended onto our house. My dad made headlines for not letting a crippling disease stop him from an active life and for bartering. He was covered by the Ellensburg Trader in 1955, then the Spokesman Review in December 1955. On Jan. 29, 1956, the Seattle Times wrote about him with the headline, “Like to make a trade?” We didn’t have a lot of money, so my dad would trade for what we needed.

When did you decide to go into nursing?

After high school, I got married and had a child. But it was necessary to find another income after I got divorced. Nursing was my choice. I spent a lot of time as a candy striper, so I was familiar with the needs of patients. I started nursing school at Yakima College in 1977 and spent my career at the same hospital I worked as a candy striper. (It’s now called Kittitas Valley Hospital.)

What was your first job in nursing?

I started out as night shift in the med-surg ward and then night shift in the emergency room. Back then, I was the only person in that area. There was no security. Anyone could walk through the door. From there, I graduated to the day shift in coronary intensive care and to the day shift in surgery (where she stayed for 26 years).

What areas of nursing did you like the most?

Surgery was my favorite. We had a very small crew. We worked an eight-hour day shift, and then I was on call for 16 hours. Sometimes, you didn’t get sleep, or you were woken up for a trauma, a stat c section, or a ruptured gall bladder. I did everything. I really loved orthopedics because it’s technical, with pieces and parts. Several steps are needed to get the right fit for a procedure—total knee, hip, shoulder replacement, and joints in a hand.

The surgeons did the measurement. I had to provide the tool to help place the measuring, then we would have to put the pieces together in a certain order and trial a piece of equipment, so the patient’s body part moved appropriately.

But really it was the patients. They were scared and vulnerable, and I was able to alleviate that stress. Some patients would even request me.

How do you help patients who are stressed?

You have to listen and understand what their concern is. And you need to use a little humor. I was very fortunate to possess some of that humorous insight. You talk them through it. Then, they see you when they wake up, and you go from there.

What was one of the most exciting times of your career?

I had a prominent support group over the years. I had a couple of nurses in Ellensburg—an OB RN and a med-surg RN—who were very supportive to me in being a part of WSNA. They would go to meetings with me. I had Judy Huntington (former WSNA president and executive director) and Joanna Boatman (former WSNA president) to guide me along the trail. In 2017, I was fortunate to get the Joanna Boatman Staff Nurse Leadership Award, and that was very special. In 1993, when I was president of WSNA, we initiated this award. Joanna was one of my mentors. I was on the WSNA Board of Directors when she was president (and when Judy Huntington was president as well). The award recognizes outstanding leadership and significant contributions to the general welfare of nursing.

Now, my focus is on community involvement and continuing education in the central Washington region.

Describe your tenure as president of WSNA from 1993-1997?

ARNP pay equity, safe staffing, and workplace environment were the big issues.

Those years were marvelous. I got to meet people and learn a great deal, and I had these wonderful mentors’ help as I continued. I went to American Nurse Association (ANA) meetings. You just met people and made friendships and learned from those people.

We also had the nastiness, with lawsuits preventing all nurses in a facility from being part of a union. In Ellensburg, our hospital has been a closed shop since 1964. All the RNs had to be members of WSNA. But a major lawsuit (Janus) came down for public employees, and all employees no longer had to be a member.

What is your vision for nursing?

I would like to see safe staffing and a safe workplace. Now, our hospital has security on each floor. I had a friend in med-surg who was held captive at knife point by a patient. That should never have happened.

Do you have advice for young nurses?

My advice is to join WSNA. Be persistent. Be involved. Speak your voice. If you aren’t talking, someone is talking for you.