I met Dave at ONA’s very first Legislative Ambassador program and was able to get to know him even more during Akron’s recent First Book event. Dave is one of the friendliest guys you’ll ever meeting – he’s personable, beyond nice, and I’m sure an instant friend to everyone he meets.
I learned during the Akron First Book event that Dave was previously a full-time funeral director. I had so many questions! How did he get into that? What was it like? It all piqued my interest. I knew that Dave would be the perfect December Featured Member.
M: Tell us a little about yourself.
D: I grew up in Taiwan until I was 12 years old. My parents moved here because of the educational opportunities in America and because of the ‘American Dream.’ I moved to Alliance, Ohio and attended middle school and high school there.
When I came over, I didn’t speak any English besides simple phrases like, ‘Hello, how are you?’ and ‘Where’s the bathroom?’. It made school a little difficult, but it didn’t take me long to grasp the language.
I was about a grade and a half above everyone in my class in mathematics. I remember my teacher just giving me test after test and I just flew through them. He would just shake his head and say, “Wow, you guys are way more advanced over there!” So, instead of math class, I would take a special English class. That’s how I caught onto the language so quickly.
M: Was school different in Taiwan?
D: Overseas they go to school all day! You start your day at 8:00am, and then finish at 4:00pm. After that, you have extracurricular classes or maybe a sport. Baseball is about the only sport that is popular there. Plus there’s school on Saturday for half a day!
The extracurricular time was really reserved for extra school classes, though. If you were weak on a subject, you would take an extracurricular class to get better. Or if you wanted to learn something special, like a foreign language or calligraphy, you would take an extracurricular class. You don’t get home until 7:30pm. You come home, watch a little TV, and then go straight to bed.
M: Were you surprised with the school schedule when you came to the U.S.?
D: Oh yea! I was like, “I have all this free time!”
I just went back last month for two weeks and my cousins have two little daughters who are 7 and 4 years old. It really reminded me of how long the school day is there when they were never home during the day.
The last time I went back was 18 years ago. My grandmother is 92 and I knew I needed to go back and see her.
M: Do you still speak Mandarin well? Have you had to interpret at the hospital?
D: Yes, I still speak it. And yes I have interpreted before, but only once during nursing school clinical.
M: Where did you go to nursing school?
D: I went to Walsh in North Canton from 2009 through 2011. I went through the accelerated program for my BSN.
M: You had another career before becoming a nurse, right?
D: Yes - I have a degree in mortuary science. I’m a funeral director and an embalmer.
M: How did you get into that?
D: I worked for a funeral home in high school and it really interested me. I thought wearing a suit and tie every day was a cool thing. But now I realize that wearing ‘pajamas’ to work every day is better!
M: Why did you want to switch?
D: Working 3 days a week sounded great! Plus, I’m still taking care of people, but this time I’m taking care of sick people and their families instead of just families who lost someone.
I’ve always been in customer service and I like working with people. Some people hate people, I like people! I see more of the good than the bad. I’d rather give people the benefit of the doubt rather than be skeptical of them.
M: Do you still work as a funeral director?
D: I still do and am a trade embalmer. When a funeral home doesn’t have an embalmer on staff, they call me. It’s easier to get an funeral director’s license rather than an embalming license, which is why not every funeral home as an embalmer on staff. .
M: Where do you work now?
D: I work at Akron General Medical Center and in medical/surgical ICU. I’ve worked on the unit for about a year and a half. I’ve been at Akron General 5 years.
M: Is there anything that you’re surprised about with nursing?
D: You know, I thought that I’d be able to really get to know my patients and talk to them more – the psycho social side of things. But we’re so busy! Understaffing across the state, and it’s a problem at Akron General, too. We run from patient to patient and it makes our jobs so task-oriented, which takes away from the human interaction that is important.
M: Can you describe an “A-HA” moment that you’ve had, that validated why you became a nurse?
There’s so many different ones! It’s so rewarding being a nurse. We get to watch people get better, and know they’re getting better because of us. It’s always great when the patient or a family member thanks you for taking care of them.
I can’t remember all of the details for this one patient, but it was a young person who was in bad accident. I didn’t think they were going to make it. But they eventually got well enough to work with a physical therapist, and within a couple of weeks they were up walking again. Once they were out of the hospital, the mom wrote our letter a unit thanking for helping her child get back on their feet. It was because of us that they were able to get better. It’s nice to know that.
M: Has being a funeral director helped you in your new profession as a nurse?
D: It has! I know what to tell families when someone passes – what they can expect and the steps to take.
For example, I can explain what to do when meeting with the funeral director, when to bring clothing, to make sure to bring insurance information, and to jot down ideas for the obituary. Families are so distraught when they lose someone and they really have no idea what to do.
I’m naturally empathetic, and I learned as a funeral director that even the smallest gestures mean so much. If I have families that are upset, I do little things like grab the tissue box. Even actions that small are significant. It shows that you care, and that you understand their feelings.