A student stands over a patient, needle poised. They have a “perfect” prescription: a textbook combination of points harvested from a lecture slide on chronic lower back pain. But as the needle meets the skin, the student hesitates - the symptom of a quiet habit that has taken hold of our profession. We routinely say we “prescribe” points. It sounds efficient. It echoes the authority of biomedical culture and fits neatly into the insurance field. But vocabulary is never neutral; repeated long enough, it dictates behavior.
Rosemary McCarthy, RN, BS
Rosemary McCarthy, RN, BS is the Associate Director of the Health and Wellness Center at Farmingdale State College. Ms. McCarthy has been employed at Farmingdale since 2001, initially in the role of per diem nurse. In 2003 she was appointed to a regular Nurse I position and in 2011, due to increasing responsibilities, was upgraded to Nurse 2. As responsibilities continued to increase, Ms. McCarthy was promoted to Assistant Director in 2012, and then upgraded to Associate Director in 2015.