Not many a day goes by that Lynne Shores doesn‟t influence lives in the nursing world. As a college professor, author, lecturer and community advocate for more than 30 years, she has helped educate and direct the energy of thousands of registered nurses who care for today‟s patients. And, she has played a key role introducing hospitals and universities to safe patient handling instruction.
“Someone once told me, I have the passion and patience needed for working with beginning nursing students,” explained Shores. “It‟s true. I love to see that fire ignited when a student does well!” To that end, Shores served as Belmont University‟s representative at ANA‟s Safe Patient Handling Conference five years ago. Learning about new research and state-of-the-art lift equipment energized her to tackle the neglected topic of safety in nursing instruction. And, it granted her the chance to work with peers at ANA and NIOSH (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health) to implement core curriculum for teaching students about on-the-job safety. Currently, Shores serves on the National Advisory Committee for the newly launched ANA Safe Patient Handling Recognition Program.

“If I can save even one nurse from having a back injury that cuts short a career, then that makes all our efforts worthwhile,” said Shores. Committed to preparing graduates for the professional world,
Shores encourages students to ask potential employers about safe patient handling policies and introduces them to the importance of the State legislative process.
In years past, she has taken classes to the Tennessee Nurses Association‟s Legislative Summit, where they hear about important health care issues from Tennessee legislators. In addition, Shores‟ students have had the opportunity for lively discussions with Virginia Trotter Betts, MSN, JD, RN, FAAN — Tennessee‟s Commissioner for the Department of Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities and former ANA President. “I strive to inspire students to do their best, take their work seriously and look forward to a long and rewarding nursing career,” said Shores.