Andrew Liss
2015-2016 Cultural Awareness Chair
CSU, Sacramento
Graduation: Spring 2017

I am a second semester nursing student at Sacramento State University. In addition to my role as the Cultural Awareness Committee Chair, I also serve as the CNSA Sacramento State Chapter Representative.

Prior to returning to school, I worked in the commercial furniture industry, designing and manufacturing custom wood tables for restaurants. Although I thoroughly enjoyed    making unique wood furniture, the competition from overseas has made the future of this industry unpredictable. During the last year of my employment, and having less hours at work, I volunteered to become the caregiver of my Grandmother who was suffering from dementia. To help my efforts, I began researching  the disease. I found that I was genuinely interested in the scientific research others had completed for dementia and their recommendations for taking care of those with it. My uncle and aunt then suggested that I consider a career in health care. This got me thinking: a position that blends my knack for hands-on work with my passion for   science would be my dream. Which is how I decided to pursue a career in nursing.

After seven years of working in the commercial furniture industry, spending more money on ski trips than I care to admit, and assuring my parents that, yes, I actually do plan on graduating from college one day, I returned to school to pursue a career as a registered nurse. As I continue through nursing school, I am inspired by my fellow classmates, and other nursing students I have met across the state, who go above and beyond what they are asked to do. I plan to graduate in the Spring of 2017, and in time return to school to pursue a career as a certified registered nurse anesthetist.

Goals:

• Create a smart phone application that lists nursing considerations for a minimum of ten common California cultures.

• Create and maintain a Facebook page that connects CNSA chapters, and keeps chapters up to date about the activities of the Cultural Awareness Committee.

• Establish a minimum of two new Global Initiative committees at local CNSA chapters.

• Identify a specific minimum emphasis on cultural competence to request to the Board of Registered Nursing. The BRN's requirements do mention cultural diversity as a current curriculum requirement, however it does not specify to what extent the program should be emphasizing cultural competence.

• Continue the work of San Diego State Global Initiative’s Basic Spanish for Nurses project, incorporating a minimum of ten foreign languages California nurses often encounter.