 Whether they were attracted to nursing for the salary, the hours or
the adrenaline rush, nurses find that making a difference in the
lives of patients -- even just one patient -- does matter.
"There's never a day here that I dread coming to work. I love
it," says Lu Ann Ploense, a nurse in the emergency department.
Nurse Nikki Swarts recalls when one patient recently wrote a very
long letter thanking Swarts and others at ALMH who helped during her
stay. "That was really nice that she appreciated her care so much
she sent a note about it," Swarts says.
Valuable assets to any hospital, nurses are critical to great
patient experiences at ALMH. This week is National Nurses Week, May
6-12, a time to celebrate a career that relies on both science and
compassion to foster healing.
In order to highlight the importance of nursing and give the
community a glimpse of the life of a nurse, ALMH recently added a "Nursing
at ALMH" link on its Web site. It is a great tool for anyone
who's considering a career in nursing to find out a bit more about
this profession.
Three ALMH employees shared their stories to give a realistic
perspective on the life of a nurse.
In one, obstetrics nurse Judy Skelton explains how she initially
went into nursing because she wanted the potential to make a good
living. At first, she was certain pediatrics was her calling, but
that didn't work out. It wasn't for her.
Today, she's celebrating 20 years at ALMH, caring for laboring
moms, babies and postpartum mothers. She loves her job and the fact
that working at a smaller hospital means she gets a wider range of
experience.
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"There may not be anybody else here but you and another nurse. You
have to have the skills to assess situations," Skelton said. "It
keeps it more exciting and rewarding."
There are more than 65 nurses at ALMH, working in ICU, same-day
care, surgery, cardiac rehab, medical/surgical, emergency,
obstetrics, case management and infection control.
"A critical-access hospital, ALMH offers nurses many challenges
and experiences, the chance to grow, and the opportunity to effect
change," says LaVerne Landers, director of nursing at ALMH. "Nurses
can receive mentoring, support and training in their pursuit of
excellence. ALMH is a hospital where the passion to make a
difference in the life of another can be reignited."
The stories of Skelton, Ploense and Swarts can be found at
www.almh.org.
[Text from file received
from Abraham Lincoln Memorial
Hospital]
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