Updated: November 13, 2012 1:22PM

BUFFALO GROVE — Buffalo Grove resident Maripat King is a clinical instructor in the Department of Medical-Surgical Nursing at the University of Illinois at Chicago’s College of Nursing.

Recently, nursing website www.BSNtoMSN.org named King as one of the top 100 nursing professors in 2012.

This is the latest accolade for King, who in July earned a spot on www.CNAThrive.com’s “75 Nursing Professors You Would Be Lucky To Have Teaching Your Classes” list. BSNtoMSN is a blog that covers trends in nursing, and CNAThrive provides information to certified nursing assistants.

King has been a nurse educator at UIC for eight years, teaching pathophysiology, fundamentals of nursing and medical/surgical nursing. She also performs research that focuses on atrial fibrillation and current treatments for arrhythmia.

Q: How did it feel to win this honor?

A: It is always gratifying to receive a teaching honor and to know that your work has positively impacted the education of your students.

Q: What did you have to do to get to where you are now?

A: I started nursing school late in life, after I had three children, so it took a lot of determination, and I had to keep my eye on the goal rather than the obstacles. My husband and children were very supportive and encouraging, which was vital to my success.

Q: What interested you in nursing?

A: As a child and an adult I had a cardiac arrhythmia problem, which meant many hospitalizations. I had one nurse in particular in a pediatric cardiology unit who was warm and caring and made me feel that she would be there to take care of me. I always felt safe and comfortable when she was there. I always strive to earn that trust from my patients so they feel comfortable in what is often a scary and foreign environment.

Q: Is nursing anything like the medical dramas on TV?

A: While you do develop relationships with the people you work with and share some of the triumphs and tragedies of life with your colleagues, real medicine and nursing is not at all like the medical dramas on TV. I have spent a lot of time explaining to my students that what they see on some shows is for dramatic effect and would never happen in real life in a hospital.

Q: What’s the plan for the future?

A: I am looking forward to obtaining my DNP — doctorate in nursing practice — and continue to work at UIC as we head into changing both nursing education as well as healthcare in this country. I see a larger proportion of uninsured patients in the hospital and we will not be able to sustain this level of healthcare without some major changes.

Q: If you could dictate what changes were made to the health care system, what would you do?

A: I could write a whole dissertation about the changes we need to make to the health care system, but one of the things we see in the hospital the most often is a need for a universal electronic medical system so a patient doesn’t have to undergo repeated tests because they had them done somewhere else. And we desperately need insurance for all citizens. The cost of healthcare has risen dramatically because there are so many uninsured patients coming into the hospital and we all share the cost of that. This is only the tip of the iceberg, however.

Q: Outside of your career, what is your proudest moment?

A: My proudest moments have come from seeing my children grow up to be honorable, hardworking, and caring people who are raising their children in difficult times. My grandchildren are my greatest joy and a constant source of love and fun, and my husband and I are so fortunate to have them around to help us remember to take time to play.

Q: What is your favorite restaurant?

A: My favorite restaurant these days is Maggiano’s. I love Italian food and their’s is among the best.

Q: What’s in your iPod these days?

A: Always Jon Bon Jovi. I have seen him in concert twice and have listened to him for many years. His music is inspiring and uplifting and his voice always makes me smile.

Q: One of Bon Jovi’s newer songs is called “Superman Tonight,” and the video deals with a number of first-responder career paths, including the military, police and firefighters...and nursing. Have you seen the video, and if so, did it mean anything to you that your favorite singer is singing the praises of your profession?

A: I love Bon Jovi’s song about the unsung heroes in our society, with nurses being among them. As we saw with Hurricane Sandy, nurses carried patients down eight flights of stairs while oxygenating them. Often in this profession, as in many others, we put the needs of our patients above our own, and his song highlights that, which is always gratifying. We do our job because we love it and there is no better job in the world.

---