The Shaping of a Profession
Dolores Grunigen has long been a passionate supporter of the nursing
profession, and yet she was never a nurse. As a young woman, she chose to
go to business school, a choice that eventually led to a position as
assistant executive secretary to the executive officer of the California
State Board of Medical Examiners.
"That's how I got involved in legislation, and ultimately gained an
understanding and admiration for the nursing profession" Dolores recalls.
She took to the job with enthusiasm and dedication and soon was going to
the state legislature as a representative of the executive officer.
The Board eventually created a position for her as assistant secretary and
legislative advocate for the Allied Health Committees licensed under the
State Board. That is where she met Lulu Wolf Hassenplug, Founding Dean of
the UCLA School of Nursing, who had been appointed to the committee. The
two bonded over their shared mission to advocate for healthcare
professionals in California in the 1970s after legislation was introduced
to expand the role of nurse practitioners and physician assistants.
"Dean Hassenplug was very imposing, and she created a space for me to
understand what nursing was all about. If any legislation came up
pertaining to nursing, she would speak up right away. That's where I
learned that nursing had a valid place in medicine and should be recognized
with a higher level of education," Dolores explains.
Building a profession -
Before Dean Hassenplug headed up the new UCLA School of Nursing in 1948,
hospitals were charged with educating nurses. The training they received
was often an afterthought. Their status was so low in the medical community
that they were expected to stand up any time a physician entered the room.
Hassenplug's vision changed all that. She developed a university-based
undergraduate program, the first west of the Mississippi, spearheading a
movement to move nursing education from hospitals to college campuses. She
soon added graduate programs as well.
Today, the UCLA School of Nursing continues to educate undergraduates and
graduate students, and boasts two doctoral programs: a research-focused PhD
program and a leadership-focused Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree
for evidence-based clinical practice and systems health care. "We talked
about it so many times," Dolores says. "I've seen the progress, and just
having the title Doctor of Nursing is an accomplishment that I didn't think
I'd see in my day."
Honoring a legacy -
Dolores' husband, Dr. Forest Grunigen, also dedicated many years of his
life to legislative advocacy for the allied healthcare community. To honor
their friend's legacy after her passing, the Grunigens made philanthropic
gifts to help establish the Lulu Wolf Hassenplug Chair of Nursing at UCLA.
After her husband passed away in 1999, Dolores made an additional gift to
set up the Dolores and Forest Grunigen Scholarship Endowment in
support of entry-level nursing students at UCLA. "It's strictly for those
who cannot afford it," says Dolores, who has heard many stories from people
who were discouraged from entering the profession because of tuition costs.
"Let's give everybody a chance to at least apply to nursing."
For the future of Nursing -
Dolores' next philanthropic step was to establish a charitable gift annuity
to support the highest priority needs of the UCLA School of Nursing. "A
gift annuity is a great approach to support of Nursing. It allowed me to
make a contribution to something I care so deeply about, nursing education,
and at the same time receive tax-advantaged lifetime income that is secure
and will not fluctuate. I am very pleased to know how much this will help
the School and future generations of nurses."
It is Dolores' hope that this particular gift will help make the nursing
profession stronger and build recognition for the new DNP program. This
could start, she says, by spreading the word about these highly qualified
professionals, whose detailed knowledge of legal requirements and best
practices are invaluable resources to hospitals and health care systems.
"Nursing needs to be recognized for its worth," Dolores says. "There are
still many physicians who don't know what a DNP is."
When asked about her generous dedication to philanthropic giving, Dolores'
reaction is straightforward. "I really feel that if we don't contribute,
who will do it? You have to be an example. That's always been my
philosophy. There's no other way."
