Overview

The Heart of Compassion is the story of passion for people. Follow Dennis Preshaw's life journey as he enters the Army as a conscientious objector during the Vietnam War, becoming a medic, and, ultimately, a Registered Nurse. Come along with Dennis as he shares his life and introduces you the nursing world in a way rarely seen, from the inside. The stories are told with great honesty and truly reflect his Heart of Compassion.

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9780981936253

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Dennis was born in October of 1948 in Ogden Utah to parents Robert and Dorothy Preshaw. Dennis moved frequently as a child. Because his father was a highway engineer, the Preshaw family moved multiple times (including stays in various parts of Alaska and Oregon). Dennis' two sisters were both born in Alaska. After a move to Portland, Oregon, Robert Preshaw became the resident engineer on several Oregon projects. On September 18, 1959, Robert was killed in a logging accident at the age of 39. This had a profound effect on Dennis. After the death of his father, the Preshaw family stayed in the Portland area. Dennis graduated from David Douglas High School and then attended several different colleges, trying to find some direction for his life. He had a strong Christian belief and was an active member of the Church of Christ. This led him to enroll in a preacher school in Kirkland Washington. It was while he was in school that he received his draft notice (during the Vietnam War). Dennis was, at this time, a Conscientious Objector concerning war in general. When faced with the men at the draft board, he realized that these men probably had sons and daughters in service as well. Because of this, Dennis found that his sense of duty to serve his country outweighed his objection to the war and thus he chose to enlist rather than take a deferment to remain free from military service. As a Conscientious Objector, Dennis was placed in the Medical Corps, beginning his journey in the medical field. Dennis continued his medical training through what became a career in the National Guard and finally retiring from the Army Reserves. During this time he went to 91c School (a military nursing school) to become a LPN (Licensed Practical Nurse). He worked as a Nursing Assistant and a LPN at the Portland Veterans Hospital. From there Dennis enrolled in Clackamas Community College completing his training to become a Registered Nurse (RN). Dennis moved from Portland to Medford Oregon and went to work for Rogue Valley Medical Center. He worked for the medical center for 281/2 years. At the hospital he served on several floors in the hospital and became a charge nurse on a general medical floor, covering the night shift. A back injury moved him to outpatient IV therapy for a short time and then into RVMC's Home Health Agency. After the agency was sold, Dennis was laid-off for a 13 month period. It was during his lay-off that he wrote his book The Heart of Compassion . His book chronicles his journey in the nursing field and is filled with heartwarming stories about the places he has been and the people he has cared for. Today Dennis is back working in the Home Health field at Three Rivers Home Care Agency in Grants Pass, Oregon. This agency is in the Louisiana Home Care System. Dennis has been married for 35 years and is the proud father of two grown daughters and grandfather to four grandsons. He currently resides in Phoenix Oregon. He is still active in church activities and sometimes sings in a barber shop group.

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