Clinton and Estrada - Walk A Day In My Shoes 2008

Sen. Hillary Clinton Walks in the Shoes of SEIU Nurse Michelle Estrada

As the fifth presidential candidate to “walk a day in the shoes” of an SEIU member, Sen. Hillary Clinton joined Michelle Estrada, R.N. on the medical/surgical unit at St. Rose Dominican Hospitals in Henderson, Nevada as Estrada completed her rounds.

They then had dinner together at Estrada’s home with Estrada’s three children — Amy, 18; Jacob, 16; and Aaron, 11. This fall, Amy is off to the University of Portland to become a registered nurse herself.

© Isaac Brekken - Sen. Hillary Clinton walked a day in the shoes of nurse Michelle Estrada.

A major topic of conversation throughout their entire time together: ensuring safe nurse staffing levels in hospitals across the country.

While Estrada and her co-workers at St. Rose have united through a union and subsequently negotiated staffing levels of one nurse per five or six patients in the medical/surgical unit during a shift, many nurses who don’t have a voice on the job are forced to care for 10 or more patients.

About Estrada:

She’s a member of SEIU Local 1107 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
She’s been a medical/surgical nurse at St. Rose Dominican Hospitals, where she cares for patients recovering from surgeries and other medical problems, for the past seven years. Prior to that, she was a clinic nurse in Utah.
She’s been in nursing for 26 years and knew it was her true calling after spending time at a Mormon Missionary in North Carolina.
She’s a single parent of three children.

Read more about Estrada »

Read Estrada’s reaction to the day »

- Estrada’s reaction to the day
- News release
- View more photos on Flickr
- Today Show coverage
- USA Today coverage
- Las Vegas Sun coverage

Michelle Estrada: “To me, the most important message for any presidential candidate is that our health care system is failing the very people it’s meant to help. At my hospital, nurses have come together on the job to make a difference for our patients by setting standards for safe staffing.
“But too many nurses don’t have a voice in their hospitals, and they’re leaving the profession because of conditions at the bedside. Health care has to be the top priority for the next president.”

TELL CLINTON AND THE OTHER CANDIDATES WHAT LIFE IS LIKE IN YOUR SHOES »

All Candidates Invited to Walk A Day in a Member’s Shoes
“Walk a Day in My Shoes” is about making sure politicians truly know what the real world is like for the rest of us. SEIU members are inviting all candidates for political office to spend time in our lives, accompanying us on the job and spending time at home with our families.