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42 NURSING SPOTLIGHT 9 nurses reflect on their most memorable workdays By Anuja Vaidya B ecker's asked nine nurses to share long-lasting memories from life on the job. Note: e following responses were edited for length and clarity. Question: What was your most memorable day on the job? Kelly Hulsey, RN. Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer at Pied- mont Atlanta Hospital: Speaking as a nurse whose career has spanned over 30 years, I certainly have a number of very memorable days and all for different reasons. However, the most momentous and memorable day for me was Sept. 11, 2001. I had come to work that Tuesday morn- ing, as usual, thinking about my daily commute, what my children were doing that day at school, and so on. At that time in 2001, I was in an administrative supervisor role, and my responsibilities took me all over the hospital, interacting with both patients and staff in a number of settings. e images from television, the looks on my co-workers' faces, the preparations that we began to undertake for the unknown as the day unfolded — all these remain very vivid in my memory. It is rare in a lifetime that you wake up in one world and go to sleep in a very different one. Trish Celano, RN. Senior Vice President, Associate Chief Clinical Officer and Chief Nursing Executive at AdventHealth (Altamonte Springs, Fla.): My most memorable day came early in my ca- reer when I was working as a night shi nurse in the emergency department at AdventHealth Orlando. I was on my way to work when I stopped at a red light at the exit ramp off the interstate to the hospital. Many people experiencing homelessness were known to congregate at that spot and oen approached our cars as we waited for the light to turn green. Drivers, many of whom worked at the hospital, would roll down their windows and hand them a variety of items — water, sandwiches, socks, toothpaste, you get the picture. One evening, I rolled down my window and gave one of the gentle- men a bag with a sandwich and bottle of water. Expecting to see him that night, I had prepared this bag for him and had it ready. Our exchange took place in a matter of seconds. 'Here you go buddy,' I said with a smile. 'God bless you ma'am,' he replied. It was a typical night at work with patients being admitted for a wide range of issues — from indigestion to cardiac arrest. Six hours into the shi, I got a call to attend to a newly admitted patient. I entered the room, pulled the curtain back surprised to see a familiar face. Lying there was the man from my earlier exchange on the exit ramp. ere, behind the curtain in my ED, was Jim. He had a name. Of course, he always had a name, I just didn't know it. No longer was he a man on the street; he was now my patient. As nurs- es, we tend to compartmentalize our work as a function of self-preser- vation. However, the irony of coming face-to-face with a man to whom I had extended a simple act of kindness hours before reminded me of the importance of bringing humanity into our everyday work. is day reminded me that it's about more than just mending what's broken; it's about providing whole-person care to all members of the community — body, mind and spirit. Michelle James. Executive Director of Providence Nursing Institute (Renton, Wash.): My most memorable day on the job was many years ago, and I was working as a certified nursing assistant at a skilled nursing facility. I had my licensed practical nurse license that I was not able to use without a registered nurse supervisor. My mother is also a nurse, and she was the RN administrator at the skilled facility. When I arrived at work, she took my 15-patient CNA assignment and allowed me to be the nurse on duty to practice my nursing skills. at summer my mother, the RN administrator, taught me what a servant leader is. Kristin Christophersen, DNP, RN. Chief Nursing Officer at Foun- tain Valley (Calif.) Regional Hospital & Medical Center: I think every CNO can think of a time when a disaster hits and an immediate response is needed to stabilize the organization for patient safety. I've had a couple of 'most memorables' in that area. With that said, when I see the nursing staff diligently working to protect their patients and when achievements are gained, such as trauma accreditation or com- prehensive stroke accreditation, those are [also] memorable times. ere is also one more day that really sticks out for me — the day I did my final defense presentation for my doctorate. I was elated! It was finally over! And the cherry on the top was when my trauma surgeon came to my office and congratulated me as 'Dr. Chris- tophersen.' He still calls me this, and it demonstrates the recognition of advanced nursing as a partnership. Brittany Kickel, RN. Chest Pain Coordinator at the Stony Brook University Heart Institute at Stony Brook (N.Y.) Medicine: While there are many, my most memorable day at the Stony Brook University Heart Institute took place in 2014. Nearly at my one-year mark as an RN, while working in the cardiac stepdown unit on the night shi, a long-term patient's prognosis was quite poor aer he had fallen into the final stages of congestive heart failure. e patient had no family or friends to lean on for support and/or to even make decisions for him once he became incapacitated. e heart institute staff did everything we could to not only treat the individual as a hospice patient with compassionate care, but treat the whole person. e patient was a fixture in the unit for some time, and each team member had taken care of and, most importantly, gotten to know the patient in a meaningful way. On this particular shi where the patient's death was imminent, the staff of mostly novice nurses came together to provide care that not only provided comfort but dignity. We played the patient's favorite Beatles album on one of the iPhones, went to the gi shop to purchase stuffed animals for his bed and stayed around his bedside, taking turns talking to him, hoping that he would be soothed as he took his final breaths. is is far from an upliing memory; however, it is impactful enough to remind me why I chose this profession. Nursing is so much more than the task-oriented and physically demanding nature it exudes on a regular basis. We have the honor and privilege to provide holistic care to patients and their families. When we look beyond the disease, like we did with this patient six years ago, there is no greater reward both as a nurse and as a human being. Melissa Barnes, RN, BMTCN. Nurse Manager of the 4B Hema- tology/Transplant and Cellular erapy Unit at Atrium Health's Carolinas Medical Center (Charlotte, N.C.): We once had a patient who spent months in our unit, and we developed a special bond with him and his entire family. Oen during the cancer care continuum, I've noticed [family] caregivers sometimes forget to take care of themselves.