Shawntay Harris, a Texan nurse and the founder of Eminent CPR, has become the Academy of Emergency Nurses’ first black woman inductee. She began her career as a nurse 23 years ago. Harris worked as an emergency nurse because she wanted to help people.
She then founded Eminent CPR in 2006 to help others learn CPR. She explained her firm to 25 News, “It’s an AHA American Heart Association training center, and I also offer courses from the Emergency Nurses Association, then my own courses.”
The Academy of Emergency Nurses, an organization created in 2004 to celebrate nurses who have made significant contributions to the nursing profession, has recognized the pioneer’s years of hard work and devotion to the industry on a national level.
She reminisced, “When I was approached as a potential candidate to be inducted, I was like, ‘Oh, am I worthy? Have I done enough? How do I feel? Then, when I looked at the other academy members, I was like, ‘Oh, no, there’s no one else who looks like me,’ — I will be making history if inducted.”
“It feels amazing to know that I’ve broken this ceiling so other nurses of color know they can; their work is great and exciting, has global impact, is sustainable, and they’ll see someone that looks like them,” she added.
The Academy of Emergency Nurses recognizes nurses who have made “consistent, significant contributions to emergency nursing and helped advance the emergency nursing profession, including the healthcare system within which emergency nursing is provided.”
Harris now hopes to inspire newer black nurses and encourage more people to enter the field since diversity in healthcare is vital. According to a 2020 research quoted by 25 News, 20% of nurses are people of color, with less than 7% being African Americans.
Harris told 25 News, “My goal in the academy is to keep doing what we’ve done. We want to diversify the academy, create mentorship programs so that others feel comfortable applying, and help them through.”