Job Title: Registered Nurse
Where do you work: Dayton VA and Kettering Medical Center
Describe what your day is like/what you do: I bounce around a lot, so every evening is different for me. Sometimes I’m in a supervisory role which entails coordinating all of the night shift chaos. Other nights I’m playing Captain of my own little ship – the mission is to keep the boat afloat, and I do so by assessing my patients, giving medications/treatments, following care plans (and establishing/changing care plans as needed), reviewing orders/lab work/appointments, establish consults, admit/discharge/transfer patients/veterans when necessary, and by being involved with all of the members of the interdisciplinary team. The end goal no matter what “hat” I have on for the evening is the same: to provide the best quality of care that I possibly can, and to ensure that my patients have the best possible outcomes.
What inspired you to get into health care? I remember reading a Mr. Roger’s quote a very long time ago. He said, “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.”
What is scarier than being sick? Seeing a loved one hospitalized. I’ve always just wanted to help.
What’s a memorable experience you’ve had in health care? I’ve had so many memorable experiences that it is difficult to pinpoint one. The experience that irrevocably and fundamentally changed me, though, was working for hospice. It was an absolute honor to be of aid to individuals transitioning from one plane of existence. I will do few things more important in my lifetime than helping someone die with dignity. It taught me a lot about health care, sure, but it also taught me so much about myself and about life in general. Hospice is where I truly learned empathy, how to give of myself, and what peace really looks like.
What do you want readers to know about your job right now? I think everyone knows at this point that health care jobs are tough stuff. We are seeing the worst of the worst and we are overrun with obstacles that we never foresaw happening… but man, are we showin’ up and showin’ out!! We are here for you – yesterday, today, and tomorrow.