Randy Williams, President of the North Carolina Association of Nursing Students (NCANS), has been awarded the Isabel Hampton Robb Leadership Award by the National Student Nurses Association 50^th annual convention in Philadelphia.  The award is the highest award that can be bestowed on a state president.  The recipient is the nursing student who most closely represents Mrs. Robb's leadership abilities and love for nursing.  In 1898, Mrs. Robb founded the American Nurses Association and the National League for Nursing a few years later.  During her lifetime, she wrote many books on nursing practice.  Her first book, Nursing: Its Principles and Practice, was written in 1893 and provided an in-depth study of nursing practice at that time

Randy took over as President of NCANS in 2000 and was elected to a complete two-year term in 2001.  He received his associate degree in nursing and is currently working on his baccalaureate degree at Winston-Salem State University.  He is employed by High Point Regional Hospital. 

Randy Williams wrote the following article of how he came to nursing and what his career choice means to him.  

"What? You're a nurse?  This is the question I am often asked by my high school friends when we see one another.  In those days I was an athlete and wasn't considered the most compassionate individual.  However, things change, not only my personal goals and missions but nursing as well. 

Nursing is quickly being considered to be a profession, by many young people, which has no gender bias.  However, there are still few men in nursing, but the number seems to be growing every year.  I decided to be a nurse not only because of the impact which several nurses had on my life as a young man, but also because of the professional opportunities which it provides. To name a few there is job security, competitive salaries, and room for upward mobility.  Not to mention that in many ways basic nursing education is a gateway to an abundance of new opportunities. 

No longer is a 'nurse is a nurse is a nurse.'  For many years the idea of nursing has stemmed from our matriarch Florence Nightingale whom people refer to as the lady of the lamp.  However, this image is only a part of who she was.  She was also an administrator, author, statistician, drafter of legislation and most of all a reformer. 

These nursing attributes are even more true today  with the ever changing genre of health care.  Early in my nursing education I was introduced to our professional organization, the North Carolina Association of Nursing Students.  This association is a constituent of the National Student Nurses Association and is comprised of 30,000+ members in all 50 states including Puerto Rico, and Guam.  I am so fortunate and thankful for this introduction due to the doors which it has opened for me. 

I have realized that being a nurse isn't just providing excellent patient care, but is also being a catalyst for change and reform as we continue our role as patient advocates, by concerning ourselves with issues such as health care reform and staffing issues that result in efficient, competent, and reliable patient care.  NCANS has given me the opportunity to hone leadership skills as well.  I have served as a District Director, Vice-President, as well as two 18-month terms as President of the North Carolina Association of Nursing Students.

Throughout my years of involvement our association has accomplished much.  We have collaborated with the North Carolina Center for Nursing to implement the Nursing Exploration Patch for Girl Scouts of America, worked on legislation related to patient reimbursement concerning oxygen needs, met with Presidential candidates George W. Bush and Al Gore to discuss nursing issues, as well as lobbied in Raleigh and Washington, DC for legislation which effects nursing and patients. 

The experiences I have had and the people whom I have met along the way have made this  experience invaluable.  I credit much of my successful involvement at the state and national level to another 'man in nursing,' Dennis Sherrod, Director of Recruitment and Retention for the North Carolina Center for Nursing.  He has served as the liaison between the North Carolina Nurses Association and NCANS for the past four years.  

My profession, nursing, has and continues to expand my horizons as well as afford me numerous opportunities.  My aspirations are to continue my education with a master's and then proceed to a Doctorate in Nursing.  By reaching the full potential of my skills and talents, I feel am serving my chosen profession, my colleagues and my patients to my utmost."