Sadly, her father tragically died around the same time, which encouraged Thieman even more to enter the field. Her mom also supported the job choice, noting that it was a great career for a young woman.
"I came from a very compassionate family who instinctively cared for others," she says. "To this day I claim that healthcare is not an 'industry,' but a service of caring."
Over 30 years of caring and 13 books later, Thieman has definitely immersed herself within the healthcare arena, and she has never looked back.
Thieman entered nursing school at Mercy Hospital in Marshalltown, Iowa, during the time when students started helping in the hospital units the second week of school. She was president of her class of twenty.
"Back in those days (now I sound like one of those old nurses!), licensed practical nurses (LPNs) had nearly the same role as RNs," she recalls. After roles changed, Thieman's future shifted.
After graduating from nursing school, Thieman went to work at a hospital full-time. Shortly after, she got married and worked part-time while she raised her kids. She worked for three days a week for 30 years in all areas of nursing, including school, home care, hospital, and doctors' offices.
"When [nursing roles] began to change, I considered going back for my RN when our three kids left the nest," she recalls. "But by then my speaking and writing career had catapulted. Now I say I am still a nurse, I just 'nurse' hundreds or thousands of people at a time."
It was an incident that happened during the Vietnam War that changed the course of Thieman's life and led to her authoring books.
"At the end of the Vietnam War, I was a volunteer who agreed to go to Vietnam to bring six babies back to their adoptive homes in the United States. By the time I got there, bombs were falling outside Saigon and President Ford had okayed Operation Babylift," she explains. "Instead of six, I helped load 300 babies into open cardboard boxes, strapped in the belly of a gutted cargo jet! In the midst of this chaos, our son chose us, and we adopted a baby boy. I wrote this story [in a book] 20 years later...that began my writing career."
"I [still loved] bedside nursing when I began to write as a hobby," she explains. "That pastime grew, and I was asked to write Chicken Soup for the Nurse's Soul. By then I was speaking to healthcare audiences, encouraging them to care for themselves too."
Thieman says she has learned a lot of valuable lessons on her journey, especially from her experience in Vietnam.
"Being part of Operation Babylift taught me lessons that changed my life," she says. "It is those lessons that I share with audiences as I give them tools to balance their lives physically, mentally, and spiritually each day, to truly live their priorities, and to make a difference in this world."
Writing the books pushed Thieman to take advantage of her position and her voice, and share her experiences.
"Ten years ago I quit my 'day job' and became a full-time speaker and author," Thieman says. "After another seven Chicken Soup for the Soul books, I just finished Chicken Soup for the Nurse's Soul, Second Dose."
With so many books under her belt, Thieman's love for "nursing" people has led her to encouraging and supporting others, now in a different way.
| Q. What do you do for fun? A. Hike, roller blade, horseback ride. Q. What CD is in your CD player right now or what was the last song you heard? A. Neil Diamond, "Thank the Lord for the Nighttime." Q. What is the last magazine you read? A. Speaker magazine. Q. Who is your role model? A. Mother Teresa. Q. Your favorite ice cream flavor? A. Chocolate chunk. |
"Now I get to 'nurse' thousands of people at a time," she explains. "I help nurses stay strong so they can continue their compassionate service in these tough times. I also get to encourage men and women of all ages to join our professional service of caring."
Encourages she does, advising future healthcare professionals just starting out on the importance of caregiving.
"Nursing is a wonderful career of a lifetime. There are so many options for workplaces and schedules," she says. "One can work full-time, part-time, nights, days, in hospitals, offices, or corporations. Rarely is there a job where you can truly touch a life and make such a difference."
Although Thieman says that the road ahead can be a challenging one, she also emphasizes that entering the field will open many doors.
"I remind nurses why they signed on and why they stay on. These are tough times in healthcare. The acuity of the care is greater, and the work is hard. Nurses are expected to do more with less," she elaborates. "Often nurses go home after their shifts with achy feet and achy hearts, feeling the care they gave was adequate at best. I give them tools to care for themselves as attentively as they do others, and I honor them for what they do. They are the heroes."
Thieman's book credits include: This Must Be My Brother; Adrift in the Storms; Chicken Soup for the Nurse's Soul; Chicken Soup for the Christian Woman's Soul; Chicken Soup for the Caregiver's Soul; Chicken Soup for the Mother and Son Soul; Chicken Soup for the Father and Daughter Soul; Chicken Soup for the Grandma's Soul; Chicken Soup for the Christian Soul 2; Chicken Soup for the Nurse's Soul, Second Dose (12-07); Chicken Soup for the Adopted Soul (4-08); Chicken Soup for the Catholic Soul (12-08); I Didn't Sign Up for This (with agent).
