Logan Webb

Nursing and gardening—on the surface, neither really seem like they have much to do with the other, but upon digging deeper (pardon the pun), the commonalities start to become abundantly apparent. At least, that’s how it started for Beta Chi Chapter member Logan Webb. Spending a lot of time in the garden with his grandparents, Logan learned to be curious about the world around him. Logan remembers going out into the garden early in the morning, smelling fresh tilled dirt and, over time, watching the seeds they planted sprout and grow. He says, “It was the start of my interest in nature and the life sciences in general.” Along with these initial lessons, Logan’s grandparents also taught him to always be observant and curious, and that continuous learning was a great way to feed that curiosity.

His drive to learn and make the world didn’t stop in his youth. Proving light shines in even the darkest of places, Logan found an outlet for his passion and drive among one of the hardest trials: his grandmother’s diagnosis with Stage IV metastatic breast cancer and her eventual passing. “I felt so helpless; I couldn’t care for my grandmother the way she had cared for me whenever I was sick. After she passed, there was a void inside me and I couldn’t find anything that could fill it”, Logan says. All of that changed though when Logan attended a local program that allowed high school students to shadow various healthcare professionals. Initially attending wanting to become a doctor, Logan was able to get an inside look at the nursing profession, and he was hooked. “I knew that nursing would allow me the opportunity to provide compassionate, evidenced-based care for people who are in the most vulnerable period of life.”

Following his passions and driven by his need to learn, Logan found that while he enjoyed providing solutions within critical care nursing, he still felt the drive to go further. That drive had also earned him an invitation to join Sigma, something Logan aspired to do since his pre-clinical nursing days. Today, Logan is both a Chapter Leader and (the first appointed!) Membership Ambassador for Beta Chi Chapter, where he works to connect new nurses with Sigma, their Chapter, and other nurses with similar interests. “Becoming a member of a designated honor society allows members to network, glean information, offer/receive support from peers, further my education, and supplement my resources, when available. I found all of these things in Sigma.”

Since his induction in 2016, Logan has spread his passion for Sigma and mentoring fellow nurses through his involvement in Beta Chi. In addition to his service on their board, Logan was able to channel his love for his chapter onto social media, launching Beta Chi’s first Facebook page and revitalizing the page on The Circle, Sigma’s community networking platform, with the goal to increase engagement and communication within Beta Chi and beyond. He doesn’t limit his presence to the online world though. Logan makes sure the next generation of nurses know about the support and benefits Sigma offers. “Being able to speak at recruiting events and spread my passion for this amazing organization only reinforces my decision to join”, he says. “[As Membership Ambassador], I’ve been able to cultivate those important close relationships with members while introducing prospective members to Sigma. It’s so satisfying to see nursing students of all ages and backgrounds cross our stage at their induction.”

Leadership positions, such as a Chapter Leader and Membership Ambassador, don’t only benefit nurses at the chapter or academic levels though—Logan believes it’s also a great way to transition to a leadership role as well. “There’s a leader in every nurse. If you sow the seeds of inquiry and cultivate it with opportunity and passion, you can set yourself up for amazing possibilities. Sigma works great as a greenhouse for nurses to grow and blossom into today’s leaders.” He continues, “From being a nurse supervisor or manager to becoming a Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) or leader of your local state nurses’ association, nurses can become the change they want to see in the world and make advancements in the nursing profession. This all stems from the skills accrued through the various leadership roles offered by Sigma.”

Recently, Logan was recognized for his passion, dedication, and leadership within the field of nursing by the Louisiana State Nurses Association (LSNA) and the Louisiana Nurses Foundation (LNF) when he was awarded the “Rookie of the Year” Nightingale Award at the annual Nightingale Awards and Gala, hosted by the LSNA and the LNF. This award recognizes the excellence and achievements of nurses registered to practice in Louisiana, and though Logan is a most deserving recipient, he still credits those who’ve supported his nursing journey as much as himself for his recognition. “Being such a new nurse and having achieved so much, it was truly a humbling experience to be surrounded by the upper echelon of my Louisiana nursing peers receiving this award,” he said. “It reminds me of all the people who’ve supported me throughout my career…I always say this award is as much theirs as it is mine.”

And while Logan is extremely proud of his accomplishments so far, he’s profoundly excited about the future of nursing, especially in the critical care field. It’s never dull, with new technologies and protocols being implemented constantly proving there’s always something new to learn. “As ICU [Intensive Care Unit] nurses, we are often the pioneers for new modalities and assessing patient outcomes. And, as long as we continue to have nurses who truly love their jobs in this specialty, the future of critical care looks promising as ever.”