To the four nurses who profoundly shaped my life through
their unconditional love, and their commitment to lives of
service and compassion:

To Aura, my wife, best friend, and most trusted advisor. Her
encouragement keeps me motivated, and her support allows me to pursue
a passion for teaching. Her talent as a caregiver, and her leadership style
as a director of nurses, provides the inspiration and role model for the
management principles in this book.

To Helen, my mother, who was a lifelong missionary nurse in China,
setting an unwavering example of kind and selfless service.

To Margaret, the beloved mother of my daughter Stacy and son Lorin,
who lost an arduous and courageous battle with encephalitis contracted
when she was a school nurse in Singapore at the age of 28.

To Sylvia, my little sister, a surgical nurse, who looked up to me when I
didn’t deserve it and makes me feel loved and cherished as a friend and
confidante.