Please join us in congratulating Josephine J. (CNA), Kacie P. (CNA), Marchela S. (CNA) and Alexandra T. (LPN) our CareerStaff Clinicians of the Month for July 2020!
We’re also excited to announce that Kacie is the winner of our quarterly raffle! All nominations for CareerStaff Clinician of the Month are included in the raffle, with the winner scoring an added bonus. So, here’s a big congratulations and thank you to Kacie, and to all of our July 2020 Clinicians of the Month!
And thank YOU, the nurses and clinicians working hard to provide great care, day in and day out during this difficult time. You are appreciated!
Meet Kacie P. (CNA)
Kacie, a Michigan native who’s been licensed as a CNA since 2014, and a member of the CareerStaff network since 2016, recently came up with a unique idea to help motivate her co-workers during the COVID-19 outbreak.
“I have completed a drawing, live on the facility TV program, each month since the start of the Covid-19 quarantine,” she told us. “The first drawing was such a success at the facility, they contracted me to complete a motivational art piece on the entryway sidewalk for the staff to see upon entering the building.”
Here’s Kacie in front of the most recent drawing at the Valley View Care Center for the upcoming 4th of July holiday.
Kacie also told us that she draws inspiration from an experience during her training when she saw a PT lead a patient through a treatment session — a event that helped inspire her to become an occupational therapy assistant student.
“That therapist was so motivated and eccentric to work with us, I found myself inspired to affect others the way she affected me,” she said.
“My favorite memory working with CareerStaff would have to be the annual staff Christmas party hosted by one of our long-term contract facilities,” she added. “I’ve always enjoyed sitting across the table from my supervisors and having a good laugh. For a moment, we are all just work family having a good time together. The family feeling is my favorite part about working for CareerStaff.”
4 Quick Questions!
What do you find most inspirational about working in healthcare? “The ability to make my patient’s day a little brighter.”
What’s the best part of your day? “When I successfully make my patients laugh.”
What’s the hardest part of your job? “Having a patient which I have built a rapport with discharged or pass away.”
What advice can you offer others? “Make time for self-care. You can only fill someone else’s cup if your cup Is filled first.”
Meet Josephine J. (CNA)
Though a clinician for just two years, Josephine is set for a lifelong career in nursing — a path she always knew she’d take. Growing up in Haiti, she wanted to become a nurse from her earliest memories. And since coming to the U.S., she’s realized that the best way to start out was as a CNA.
“One previous dialysis patient, right as my shift was ending, and I was leaving his home, cried out ‘help’,” she recalled. “And I turned back. He said ‘I’m going to die.’ I called the patient’s dialysis nurse, and decided to sit with him a while.” The patient passed away a few minutes later, with Josephine at his bedside.
“Depression comes into the picture with many patients,” she added, “but you should never ignore a patient, because you never know when their next breath could be the last.”
As far as working with CareerStaff, Josephine credits the attentiveness of the staff and the attention to detail as among her favorite benefits.
“CareerStaff gives me lots of attention,” she said. “They take the time, have patience, and make extra efforts to ensure effective communication.”
4 Quick Questions!
What’s the best part of your day? “Every day, every moment when no bad news is heard, is a GREAT day!”
What do you find most inspirational about working in healthcare? “The fact that healthcare can’t happen without PEOPLE. Everybody needs somebody … no one can live without others. We take care of each other, in every way.”
Any advice for other nursing professionals? “This is hard work, but if it’s your dream, it’s worth doing.”
What’s the accomplishment you’re most proud of? “I’m most proud of the knowledge, understanding, and experience I’ve been given the opportunity to gain as a CNA — proud that I’m able to do this kind of thing, and do it well.”
Meet Marchela S. (CNA)
A CareerStaff clinician for just under a year, Marchela first realized she was destined for a life in healthcare just a few years before that.
“Back in 2015, I started working for the biggest healthcare company in South Dakota,” she told us. “Doing what I do, I was able to interact with patients and residents on a daily basis.
“It wasn’t until one of our residents I grew to be very close to until she needed extensive care, which I was unable to provide as I was not certified at the time being. That was the moment that I realized I wanted to be there for her and many more, and be able to help the best I could.
“I applied and became a certified nursing assistant in her loving memory, and not a day goes by without me remembering her and thanking her for helping me unlock that deep dedication, compassion and care towards others.”
“Everyone was so friendly and welcoming,” she said when asked about her first interview with the CareerStaff team. “It made me feel like home, as I had just moved to the state and the area and everything was new to me.”
There have been challenges since, of course. “We make memories every day doing what we do,” Marchela said. “Some more sweet, some more sour. However, I wouldn’t give either one up, as they have helped me grow into a more patient and compassionate individual.
“For the four years I’ve been a CNA, I’ve came to the realization that healthcare is always work in progress,” she added, “therefore, changes are not uncommon. My hopes are that we as healthcare providers will always work towards improvement and change for the better so we can reach our main goal — providing the best quality of care for the ones we care for.
“The most inspirational part to me is when I see that us caring for others the way we do regardless of our title does make a difference, and no amount of long or tiring shifts can compare to the feeling of accomplishment at the end of the day!”
4 Quick Questions!
What’s the best part of your day? “Probably when I can make the ones I care for (even the grumpiest) smile and express satisfaction of their needs being met.”
What accomplishment are you most proud of? “Being able to serve my community in the best way I know and can!”
What’s the hardest part of your job? “There are many ‘hard’ parts of the job, as the job of a provider itself can be very challenging. To me, personally, the hardest part of my job is having to say goodbye when caring for elderly.”
What advice can you offer others? “Each and every healthcare worker does an incredible job. What you do does matter, and it does make a difference! Keep the good work going! There will be hard “bad” days, but the good ones make it all worth it, I promise!”
Meet Alexandra T. (LPN)
A travel nurse with CareerStaff since August of 2018, Alexandra has been a nurse since 2006 and a nurse assistant for two years before that.
“I knew I was destined for a career in healthcare when caring for my father when I was young,” Alexandra told us. “My father became ill with Parkinson’s disease when I was 12 years old. My mom had to take a position outside the home, so I became his primary caregiver.
“One day, one of his visiting nurses told me I would make a great nurse when I grew up and from that point on, I knew what I wanted to do when I grew up.”
Alexandra also told us about her favorite memory of working as a nurse, an experience during a home health assignment.
“I cared for an elderly woman who lived alone,” she said. “We became great friends and we would go to Broadway plays, and other excursions. I would do her make-up, and I helped her get on a dating website.
“I still, to this day, will spend one Saturday a month with her, just doing what she wants to do. We have become great friends.”
That spirit of connecting with people infuses Alexandra’s approach to nursing and caring for others.
“I find helping my fellow man truly is what inspires me about working in healthcare,” she said. “I provide the best care I can to all patients regardless of race, creed, or orientation. I have learned so much from my patients, as well. Even when I get off work, and I’m tired and my feet hurt, I feel like I have contributed to the betterment of humankind.”
When asked about her favorite memory of working with CareerStaff, Alexandra gives a warm shout out to her recruiter, Chalonda. “She has been a part of so many changes in my life, getting married and having my son. She sends us weekly inspirational messages. She truly is amazing.”
Those connections — between patients, between recruiters, between other nurses and clinicians — are more important than ever during the COVID-19 era, as Alexandra is quick to point out.
“This pandemic has changed healthcare completely,” she said. “We as healthcare workers have united together like never before. We have each other’s back, no matter the title, and we’ve banded together to provide the best care to our patients while also trying to stay healthy ourselves.”
4 Quick Questions!
What’s the best part of your day? “Seeing my patient’s families and being there with them during a very troublesome time in their lives.”
What’s the hardest part of your job? “The toll it takes on my poor feet!”
What part of your career are you most proud of? “Taking the plunge into travel nursing! I wanted to do it for a very long time before I started, but I was also so fearful of the unknown. I am so proud I did it and I am still going strong for almost two years straight, and enjoying every bit of it.”
What advice can you offer others? “The most important thing that I try to instill in younger healthcare workers is to be an honest nurse, and to always treat your patients with dignity and respect while also being very respectful to your coworkers — everyone from the janitor to the directors.”
Interested in joining nurses like Alexandra, Josephine, Kacie and Marchela in America’s best nurse staffing network? We’ve got opportunities from coast to coast! Learn about the benefits of working a CareerStaff nursing job here, or find an opportunity now.