Alumni Profile: Lauren R. Sorce
The 2024 president of the Society of Critical Care Medicine discusses Loyola memories and her devotion to nursing science.
By Ashley Rowland
Photo by Jan Terry
Lauren R. Sorce, BSN '88 and MSN '96, knew since childhood that she wanted to become a nurse. Today, she's a distinguished nurse researcher and a leader in the field of critical care.
She’s the senior scientist in the Division of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and associate director for nursing research in its Department of Nursing. She’s also an assistant professor at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.
“Critical care is not an easy place to work, and never has been,” she said. “But this is what I was drawn to do.”
Sorce, who earned her PhD at Rush University, is the 2024 president of the Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM), a 18,000-member nonprofit with a mission to secure high-quality care to critically ill and injured patients. As president, she leads a multiprofessional board of doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and other critical care providers.
The lifelong Chicagoan spoke about her memories from the Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing, why she loves being a nurse scientist, and her tight bonds with her former classmates.
Why did you go to Loyola?
Loyola has always been known to be an outstanding program, and it was important for me to go to a program of that caliber.
Any favorite memories from Loyola?
I wouldn’t call this a favorite, but I remember how much I really hated my research class—the irony, of course, abounds. I remember sitting there thinking, “I’m never going to use this stuff. I just want to take care of patients.” I dragged myself kicking and screaming through it.
I realized not long after becoming a nurse that the best way to get things done is through research.
Why are you so passionate about nursing science?
Everything a nurse does to take care of a patient is steeped in nursing science. I think there is an overwhelming and still unfortunate view that nurses do work as directed by physicians or other providers. But nursing has its own group of core elements and activities belonging in the nursing domain. Unless we scientifically study those things, we cannot advance our profession.
I say that as a staunch voice for multiprofessional research, knowing that if we come together as a team to ask questions, we can efficiently use limited research dollars, remove our silos, and understand that the needs of the patient span the gamut of our professions.
Who was your biggest influence when you were at Loyola?
Then-dean (Julia) Lane, who taught the first nursing class that all students took. She was a force to be reckoned with. Her expectations were high, and she understood—in a way that I still marvel at—what each of us was capable of.
It was her expectation that we make exceptional contributions to the world as nurses, and that we do it with excellence. Even though she only taught that one class, she motivated me to always be the best I could be.
What’s your biggest professional accomplishment?
My first research publication moved me to near speechlessness. As a bedside nurse, I took care of one or two patients at a time in the ICU, so that was my reach.
When I became a nurse practitioner, my reach was four to six patients at a time. Then I became a researcher and my reach within nursing is almost immeasurable. I felt very responsible for moving the needle and moving our profession forward.
That’s not to minimize my role in the SCCM. Ascending to the presidency of the SCCM was huge and I’m incredibly proud of it.
Why are nurses leaders in health care?
Nurses are the connectors bridging the whole health care team. The health care professional who knows the patient best is the nurse, and that uniquely qualifies nurses to be leaders and speak on behalf of what patients and families need. That experience of developing relationships with patients and their families—and knowing the patient in a way that’s very different than anybody else in the room—is so important.
What’s the biggest challenge for critical care health providers?
Burnout and staffing. Across health care, we’re healers. We’re empathetic and we meet the needs of patients and their families. I think it’s only recently that we’ve begun to understand that we can’t do everything on our own.
The expectation of “Just one more thing” or “Sure, I can take that on”—people are beginning to realize that when I say “yes” to something, I’m saying “no” to something else.
What role do your Loyola Nursing friends play in your life?
Since graduation, we’ve had a monthly Nurses Night. We’ve met through seven marriages, kids, a divorce, and multiple jobs and advanced degrees. Yet all of us still come together to loveone another, support one another, and just be silly together.
Because we shared the trials and tribulations of getting through nursing school, we know each other in a way that’s very different from other friendships. These are lifelong friends, and there aren’t enough words to describe the depth of what that means.
What advice do you have for nursing students?
The student body at Loyola Nursing is diverse, and each person comes with different needs, expectations, and experiences that will make them the nurse they’re going to be. I would tell them to honor who you are and bring those pieces to who you will be as a professional. And when you find yourself struggling, reach out because there are people who likely are feeling the same way.
The 2024 president of the Society of Critical Care Medicine discusses Loyola memories and her devotion to nursing science.
By Ashley Rowland
Photo by Jan Terry
Lauren R. Sorce, BSN '88 and MSN '96, knew since childhood that she wanted to become a nurse. Today, she's a distinguished nurse researcher and a leader in the field of critical care.
She’s the senior scientist in the Division of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and associate director for nursing research in its Department of Nursing. She’s also an assistant professor at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.
“Critical care is not an easy place to work, and never has been,” she said. “But this is what I was drawn to do.”
Sorce, who earned her PhD at Rush University, is the 2024 president of the Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM), a 18,000-member nonprofit with a mission to secure high-quality care to critically ill and injured patients. As president, she leads a multiprofessional board of doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and other critical care providers.
The lifelong Chicagoan spoke about her memories from the Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing, why she loves being a nurse scientist, and her tight bonds with her former classmates.
Why did you go to Loyola?
Loyola has always been known to be an outstanding program, and it was important for me to go to a program of that caliber.
Any favorite memories from Loyola?
I wouldn’t call this a favorite, but I remember how much I really hated my research class—the irony, of course, abounds. I remember sitting there thinking, “I’m never going to use this stuff. I just want to take care of patients.” I dragged myself kicking and screaming through it.
I realized not long after becoming a nurse that the best way to get things done is through research.
Why are you so passionate about nursing science?
Everything a nurse does to take care of a patient is steeped in nursing science. I think there is an overwhelming and still unfortunate view that nurses do work as directed by physicians or other providers. But nursing has its own group of core elements and activities belonging in the nursing domain. Unless we scientifically study those things, we cannot advance our profession.
I say that as a staunch voice for multiprofessional research, knowing that if we come together as a team to ask questions, we can efficiently use limited research dollars, remove our silos, and understand that the needs of the patient span the gamut of our professions.
Who was your biggest influence when you were at Loyola?
Then-dean (Julia) Lane, who taught the first nursing class that all students took. She was a force to be reckoned with. Her expectations were high, and she understood—in a way that I still marvel at—what each of us was capable of.
It was her expectation that we make exceptional contributions to the world as nurses, and that we do it with excellence. Even though she only taught that one class, she motivated me to always be the best I could be.
What’s your biggest professional accomplishment?
My first research publication moved me to near speechlessness. As a bedside nurse, I took care of one or two patients at a time in the ICU, so that was my reach.
When I became a nurse practitioner, my reach was four to six patients at a time. Then I became a researcher and my reach within nursing is almost immeasurable. I felt very responsible for moving the needle and moving our profession forward.
That’s not to minimize my role in the SCCM. Ascending to the presidency of the SCCM was huge and I’m incredibly proud of it.
Why are nurses leaders in health care?
Nurses are the connectors bridging the whole health care team. The health care professional who knows the patient best is the nurse, and that uniquely qualifies nurses to be leaders and speak on behalf of what patients and families need. That experience of developing relationships with patients and their families—and knowing the patient in a way that’s very different than anybody else in the room—is so important.
What’s the biggest challenge for critical care health providers?
Burnout and staffing. Across health care, we’re healers. We’re empathetic and we meet the needs of patients and their families. I think it’s only recently that we’ve begun to understand that we can’t do everything on our own.
The expectation of “Just one more thing” or “Sure, I can take that on”—people are beginning to realize that when I say “yes” to something, I’m saying “no” to something else.
What role do your Loyola Nursing friends play in your life?
Since graduation, we’ve had a monthly Nurses Night. We’ve met through seven marriages, kids, a divorce, and multiple jobs and advanced degrees. Yet all of us still come together to loveone another, support one another, and just be silly together.
Because we shared the trials and tribulations of getting through nursing school, we know each other in a way that’s very different from other friendships. These are lifelong friends, and there aren’t enough words to describe the depth of what that means.
What advice do you have for nursing students?
The student body at Loyola Nursing is diverse, and each person comes with different needs, expectations, and experiences that will make them the nurse they’re going to be. I would tell them to honor who you are and bring those pieces to who you will be as a professional. And when you find yourself struggling, reach out because there are people who likely are feeling the same way.