A place that feels like home
For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to work in healthcare. I have always felt drawn to taking care of others. My first job was as an aid in a physical therapy office. I loved being able to take care of people and making a difference in people’s lives. Now, after being in the field for over 20 years later, I can’t imagine doing anything else.
I started with Centra as an extern on the Neurological Intensive Care Unit my senior year of college. I was blessed to be hired as a new grad into the ICU right out of school. I worked there to become a charge nurse and then a shift manager.
I decided to take the next step and entered management, where I served as the unit manager on Acute Rehab for three years before returning to bedside nursing as a member of the Internal Travel Team. I am currently in a place that feels like “home” working on the Neurological ICU and fulfilling roles as a preceptor, charge nurse and as a Code Stroke Nurse.
Having spent most of my career in Neuro, I have had the unique opportunity to watch the role of the Code Stroke Nurse emerge and evolve over time. When I first began my career there was not a Code Stroke Nurse role. At that time the neurologist alerted the staff if they thought a patient was a candidate for Tissue Plasminogen Activator (tPA).
As time went on the care of stroke patients advanced and the process of calling a Code Stroke emerged. Now, there is a designated, trained nurse that responds to provide the quickest intervention possible. This role is different from a charge or a bedside nurse's role in that as the Code Stroke Nurse you must be proficient in National Institutes of Health (NIH) assessments, know the inclusion/exclusion criteria, and be able to swiftly communicate with neurology and the NeuroIR to ensure timely assessments by these specialists for intervention. This is truly what collaborative care means to me.
I love the diversity of healthcare at Centra, particularly in nursing. I have had the opportunity to work in management and at the bedside which has allowed me to have a better understanding of how our company works to provide the best healthcare possible, and I truly love making a difference in a person’s life during difficult times.