First Impressions
David Mercer's path to a rewarding career in Nursing.
By Joan Tupponce

It wasn't David Mercer's childhood bouts with asthma that drove him to nursing. Instead, it was a high school guidance counselor who led him to the world of health care.

DAVID MERCER

"I was in the hospital a lot when I was young with asthma but that didn't influence me," reflects the 33-year-old. "When I was 17, I went to a high school job fair and a school guidance counselor asked me if I had thought about nursing as a career."

Mercer's first reaction was "absolutely not" which really meant, he says, "No, I haven't considered nursing but I'm open to anything."

Thanks to that counselor, Mercer is now an acute care nurse practitioner at the University of Virginia Health System specializing in the care of chronic wound care patients and patients with ostomies.

With the nudging of his counselor, Mercer applied to a two-year diploma program at Framingham Union Hospital School of Nursing in Framingham, MASS (the school is no longer in operation).

"It was a very competitive program," he recalls, "but the guidance counselor went to bat for me. I didn't anticipate getting in but she arranged an interview and after being on a waitlist, I was moved into the class."

Mercer completed the program and moved to Virginia in 1993. He started nursing at UVa., working in the neurology department with patients who had neurosurgery or had suffered a stroke.

"That taught me a lot," Mercer says. "It was a fantastic period in my life. I got a lot of exposure to death and dying. It helped me understand my purpose as a nurse and the purpose of my life. In that particular area, we were confronting death and dying every few weeks. You have to learn how to be effective in caring for that population. You have to bring something to the patient and their family in a time of despair."

At first, Mercer didn't know what he could add to the last moments of a person's life. "That evolved to me wanting to take care of those patients and families all the time," he says. "I learned about helping the patient stay comfortable and have a death with dignity. I went through a maturation process."

After four years, Mercer moved into cardiovascular nursing at the University of Virginia Heart and Vascular Center. During that time, he decided to go back to school to get his baccalaureate degree. He completed a two-year program at the University of Virginia School of Nursing in 1997.

"I never stopped work," he explains. "The school and the education programs are designed for working professionals." For a while, Mercer struggled with switching careers. He thought about becoming a doctor or a physician's assistant. He thought about being a nurse anesthetist.

"At times nursing can be so hard," he confides. "You start wondering if there is something better out there. I finally [came to the realization] that I am a nurse. I love what I do. I love seeing patients. I wanted to find out how I could bring this to a higher level so that I could work with patients in the best way."

The answer was to become a nurse practitioner. Mercer entered the program at UVa. in the fall of 2002. He finished this spring and recently received notice that he had passed his board certification exam.

"I feel the need in my career to change every three or four years," he says. "Nursing is a high burnout job. For me, recognizing that is a personal strength. I understand the need to move and to do something different."

Nursing brings substance to Mercer's life. "I feel as though I am doing something that promotes the health and wellbeing of others," he says. "It gives me satisfaction knowing that I am providing education that will bring them to an optimal level of health. Sometimes I think the public underestimates the power of what nurses do. Our patients have no misunderstanding about it. We have the power to empower patients and that's the greatest satisfaction."

So what's next for Mercer? Right now, he's waiting for his fiancée who is in training to become a physician's assistant to finish school. "When I tell most nurse educators that my fiancée is a PA, they laugh," Mercer says. "There's a big rivalry between PAs and NPs."

Mercer hopes to one day get a Doctor of Nursing Practice or DNP degree at an academic medical center hospital.

"At this point, I'm taking a break from education," he says. "I need to get my energy back and refocus."