There’s a naysayer in every origin story. It’s easy to scoff at them in hindsight, but they serve an invaluable purpose: they add grit to our gut instincts.
Surani knew she was destined to become a nurse practitioner the moment she first laid eyes on one, at age 12. It was the first time the local clinic had hired an NP, and the first time she’d been seen by a female clinician; the effect was immediate, like a new door flung wide open in a room where previously there’d only been one. In high school, as part of a occupational program, she completed a rotation in pediatrics working for the woman who had inspired her to pursue healthcare. Then, a guidance counselor lobbed that big old line up there into the mix.
Forget about nursing. Go be a doctor, she said.
The thing about gut instincts is they refuse to be forgotten. That’s kind of their deal. Get in their way, and they’ll only grow bigger.
And now that same girl, armed with a nursing school degree, a master’s in both nursing and business, a doctorate in Nursing Practice, and an indefatigable respect for those who care for people from the beginning of their lives until the end, has dedicated her career to making sure everyone else does, too.
Almost seems like it was always meant to go that way, doesn’t it?
“You don’t want to be a nurse. no one respects nurses.”
Family Nurse Practitioner, Russian River Health Center | 20+ years
Nursing Executive, corporate leadership at Sutter health | 25+ years
Adjunct Faculty Member, Department of Nursing, Sonoma State University | 2008-present
Adjunct Associate Professor, Department of Nursing, Samuel Merritt University | 2021-present
Surani (left), around the age of her professional epiphany, with her sister Holly, who would grow up to specialize in physical therapy
Nursing school graduation, Santa Rosa Junior College
