Cate Capsalis, 2008

One of Cate Capsalis’ favorite classes at Lewis & Clark was Social Theory with Bob Goldman.  In Social Theory she remembers making connections that she hadn’t thought of before.  Cate thinks you cannot finish a SOAN degree without shifting and expanding your worldview.  Since graduating from Lewis & Clark, Cate pursued a degree in nursing and now works as an Emergency Department RN at an inner city public trauma hospital.  With an understanding of cultural relativity, Cate is able to relate to people from all walks of life, which she uses on a daily basis in the hospital where she works.  Her experience in the SOAN department taught Cate to meet people where they are instead of imposing her ideas and biases onto them.  At Lewis & Clark, Cate was able to sharpen her listening and interviewing skills while writing her thesis; these skills have helped her ask pertinent questions to patients she works with in emergency situations.  In addition, she is able to process and rapidly asses subtle changes in patients with the skills she learned at Lewis & Clark.  Cate feels that the ability to communicate effectively is of utmost importance in medicine and that is a skill that was shaped significantly during her time at Lewis & Clark.