Millennium Magazine_7th Ed

181 Millennium - A Marquis Who’s Who Magazine HEALTH AND WELLNESS B renda Lee Bowens is a distinguished registered nurse who has accrued more than 45 years of experience in the field of medicine. Attracted to nursing from a formative age, she notes that in the late 1960s and early 1970s, there was a small number of professions from which women could choose. Deciding to pursue health care, she obtained an associate degree in applied science from Kellogg Community College in 1974 and began working as a staff nurse in the operating room of Battle Creek Health Systems in Michigan for the following 13 years. Subsequent to this role, Ms. Bowens served as a staff nurse in the Cardiac Surgical Unit at the Borgess Medical Center in Kalamazoo, Michigan, from 1987 to 1992. While working in this capacity, she attended college at the University of Michigan and graduated with a BSN in 1990. Soon thereafter, she began her tenure as an operating room nurse and first assistant at Bronson Healthcare Systems in Battle Creek, a role she has held since 1992. She initially took a first assistant course at Oakland Heritage Hospital in Taylor, Michigan. Ms. Bowens is a registered nurse and a certified perioperative nurse (CNOR). Alongside her medical endeavors, she also served as a clinical instructor at Kalamazoo Community Valley College between 1990 and 1991. Likewise, she has maintained affiliation with the AORN (Association of Operating Room Nurses), and is a former member of the American Association of Clinical Care Nurses and MNA. Among the highlights of her career, Ms. Bowens is proudest of attending college part-time and working full-time simultaneously, all while raising three children. This experience has humbled and enlightened her, and she notes that individuals can achieve anything to which they set their minds if they stay focused and disciplined. She advises future nurses to pursue their dreams, as there are myriad specialties now within the field of nursing. As a testament to her success, Ms. Bowens was featured in the 72 nd edition of Who’s Who in America, and the fourth and fifth editions of Who’s Who in American Nursing. Her hobbies include gardening and riding motorcycles. BRENDA LEE BOWENS, BSN, RN, CNOR, RNFA OPERATING ROOM FIRST ASSISTANT Bronson Healthcare Systems Battle Creek, MI