Mega Doctor News
By Roberto Hugo González / Mega Doctor News
EDINBURG, Texas — Dr. Joel Ramos, DNP, RN, CGRN, nursing director at Rio Grande Valley College, used themes from Stephen King’s novel It to discuss fear, resilience, and teamwork during remarks at the DHR Health Registered Nurse Apprenticeship graduation ceremony held in partnership with Rio Grande Valley College.
The ceremony celebrated the fourth graduating class of the nurse apprenticeship program, which was created to address the regional nursing shortage through an “earn while you learn” model. The event recognized three graduates and included remarks from healthcare leaders, educators, local officials, and community partners.
Ramos opened his speech by referencing Stephen King’s work and describing It as one of his favorite novels. “Stephen King has written many books, including Pet Sematary and Cujo,” Ramos said. “One of my personal favorites — which I have actually read twice, believe it or not — is It, a novel that spans more than a thousand pages.”
He said the novel’s deeper themes, rather than its horror elements, served as the focus of his remarks. “Beyond the frightening imagery of the clown and everything that comes with the novel, it is about much more than fear,” Ramos said. “Today, I wanted to focus on the deeper themes of that story and how they connect to nursing.”
Ramos described the novel’s central group of characters, the Losers Club, as ordinary people who confront their fears together. “They are not the strongest or the most confident, and each carries fear, insecurity, and pain,” he said. “What sets them apart is that they choose not to face those fears alone.”
Drawing a comparison to nursing, Ramos said healthcare professionals regularly encounter fear in different forms. “Nursing is not just a profession; it is a calling that places us face-to-face with fear every day,” Ramos said. “The fears we encounter may not hide in sewers or appear as clowns, mummies, or werewolves, as they do in it, but they are real nonetheless.”
He said the realities of nursing include uncertainty, difficult diagnoses, and caring for patients and families during stressful moments. “The fears we face are very different,” Ramos said. “They live in hospital rooms, in difficult diagnoses, in uncertainty, and in the eyes of patients and families who are holding on to hope.”
Ramos told graduates that uncertainty and self-doubt are common experiences for new nurses entering the profession. “None of us begin this journey fearless,” he said. “We start as apprentices, unsure of ourselves. We feel overwhelmed, question whether we are good enough, make mistakes, doubt ourselves, and carry the weight of responsibility pressing down on us.”
He also emphasized the importance of support systems formed through education and clinical work. “Something happens along the way — we find our people,” Ramos said. “We find classmates, colleagues, and others who understand the journey and help us keep moving forward.”
According to Ramos, the relationships formed in nursing often develop through shared experiences and demanding circumstances. “The friendships we build in nursing are not surface-level connections,” he said. “They are forged through long shifts, shared tears, quiet victories, and moments when everything feels overwhelming, yet somehow, together, we make it through.”
Ramos concluded by encouraging graduates to rely on one another as they begin their nursing careers. “In the end, it is not about being fearless,” he said. “It is about being brave enough to stand together and keep going anyway.”
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