When Rick Keenan, MSN, RN, needed an ostomy after surgery, he expected someone would teach him how to care for it. Instead, he found himself navigating a new health challenge and recovery on his own.
The nurses caring for him in the hospital were compassionate and supportive, but when it came to ostomy education, something was missing. After he returned home, two different home health nurses visited him, and neither had the specialized knowledge he needed.
“I was a medic, so I knew how to monitor my vital signs and manage some aspects of my recovery,” Rick recalls. “But nobody could teach me how to care for my ostomy.”
Frustrated but determined, Rick and his wife began researching. They watched videos, read educational materials, and reached out to the manufacturers of his ostomy bag for guidance. Within weeks, they became experts in managing ostomies.
However, the experience made the Keenans angry.
“It was terrible,” he says. “This is a surgery that is being performed regularly, and patients deserve better support.”
Becoming Part of the Solution
Rick had an impressive career. He had worked as a Chinese linguist, served in law enforcement for more than two decades, volunteered as a firefighter and medic, and owned a pizza shop after retirement. Nursing was never part of his plan.
While Rick was venting about the lack of patient education, his surgeon asked a question that stuck with Rick:
“Why don’t you become a nurse and come work for me?”
Rather than continuing to focus on what went wrong during his own recovery, Rick decided to do something about it.
“My wife and I have a saying,” he explains. “If you’re not willing to help with the change, then you can’t complain about it.”
So, Rick went back to school.
A New Chapter
Returning to the classroom later in life came with challenges. Rick was decades older than his classmates and he had to balance coursework with family responsibilities. However, years spent working in public service taught Rick how to stay calm under pressure and focus on what he could control.
“I don’t let a lot of stressors affect me,” he says. “Whatever I can control, that’s what I focus on.”
That mindset helped him navigate nursing school, nurse practitioner training, and eventually a doctorate program.
At 63 years old, Rick is pursuing a Doctor of Nursing Practice while continuing to care for patients alongside the surgeon who first encouraged him to enter the profession.
“I’m a lifelong learner,” he says. “It doesn’t matter how old I am. I’m going to continue learning.”
From Patient to Provider
Since becoming a nurse, Rick has provided education and support to patients undergoing ostomy surgery, helping them navigate the same journey he once faced.
In 2025, he was recognized as Advanced Practice Provider of the Year by his health system, an honor awarded among more than 1,500 practitioners.
Rick became a nurse because he experienced what happens when patients don’t get the care they need. Now, he ensures others never have to face that experience alone.
How has a nurse impacted your life? Share your story at ThePowerOfNurses.org.
