Dr. Patricia Anne Duick is a local Morrisville resident and the founder of Bucks County Community College’s Practical Nursing program who continues to show her compassion for others at the age of 82.
Duick earned her nursing degree in 1961 after going to a three-year nursing school, afterwards, she attended the University of Pennsylvania where she received her Bachelor’s degree and Master of Science in organizational dynamics.
After acquiring her Doctor of Philosophy Degree at Temple University, she was offered a teaching job and became the ombudsman of Temple.
While earning her degrees, Duick taught nursing full-time at multiple community colleges. Throughout her career, she never stopped pursuing education. “UPenn has a saying ‘There is no end to learning’ and there really isn’t!” She says’.
Dr. Duick received a certification in International Consult from Human Caring Healing from the University of Colorado in 1991 and 1993, and a Master of Science from the University of Pennsylvania in 1992.
In 2003, she began her teaching career at Bucks where she founded the Practical Nursing program. “Establishing the Practical Nursing program at Bucks was a good accomplishment for me.” Duick expresses, “There are so many old people and a lot of them need to go into a nursing home so there’s more of a need for practical nurses.”
Practical Nursing is a one-year full-time program that starts in July annually. The curriculum consists of a wide variety of clinical experiences and classroom instruction.
“They learn a lot in one year. They learn all about patient care, nursing law, and medications. It’s a hard program and I feel like a lot of people will say ‘oh LPN that’s nothing,’ but they’re very vital” Duick explains.
Duick loved teaching her students and watching them go on to graduate, although she did have her reputation. “I was pretty strict with nursing,” she tells us with a smile “they used to call me the dragon lady back then.”
After retiring in 2008; Duick and her husband, Peter Jerome, started to travel. “We went all over the world. She added, “You gotta go and travel while you can walk, talk, see, hear, and remember. What’s the use of going around the world if you’re gonna forget!”
Dr. Duick shared her love with her husband for almost 51 years until she lost him to cancer. “When he got cancer that was the worst thing,” as she explained- “He kept going in and out of the hospital and the last time he never came out.”
Despite her loss, she remains positive, “I have to treasure what I have left.”
“He always used to tease me and get me mad. Then I go upstairs and stay mad, but by the time I came downstairs I’d forgotten about it and said ‘Hey Peter what do you want for snack?’” She recalls while laughing. “Staying mad does nothing but make you feel bad so you have to know what to blow off.”
Dr. Duick now commits her time to learn about post-traumatic stress disorder in hopes of helping veterans locally. Her mission is inspired by her two younger brothers who both suffered from PTSD after serving in the Vietnam War.