Last Updated on December 13, 2021
Introducing the September 2021 CareerStaff Clinicians of the Month! We offer our warmest congratulations to Kathleen, Juliet, and Spencer, three amazing healthcare workers who are also proud members of the CareerStaff Unlimited nationwide network. Please join us in celebrating and thanking these amazing clinical workers, and all the other nurses and clinicians working hard every day to keep patients safe and healthy. You are appreciated!
CareerStaff Clinicians of the Month for September 2021
Meet Kathleen
A part of the CareerStaff family since March 2020, Kathleen knew from an early age that she was destined for a career in healthcare.
“I knew at 4 years old,” she told us. “I was fortunate enough to live with my great-grandmother and grandmother growing up. I knew how important it was for me to help them out even at a young age.”
Over the last 25 years, Kathleen has worked on and off in a caregiving role until she went back to school to finish her RN, a personal accomplishment she is most proud of.
“At 40 years old and raising 4 children, I went back to school to fulfill my lifelong dream of becoming a nurse,” she said. “One more semester! I can’t wait to continue my healthcare journey and provide the best care to people I can,” she said.
Compassionate and kind, she is thrilled to see the people she works with and care for appreciate her positive outreach.
“I am often called smiley wherever I work,” she said. “One resident, in particular, said to me one day, ‘I am a crabby old man but I can’t be when you’re around. You’re always smiling.’ I always remember him and make sure I am smiling even when my patient is not.”
Over the years, the industry has experienced shifts and changes. The one change Kathleen says she has seen remain constant is staffing needs. Though she always helps out when asked, she also finds inspiration in the power of teamwork.
“Never underestimate the power of one individual. While you recognize that you’re part of a team and that you can’t do everything yourself, you also know that you have an essential role to play,” she said. “It’s all of those roles coming together that make the magic happen. Try to remember that your contribution matters, both individually and as part of the broader picture.
4 Quick Questions!
What’s the best part of your day? “I love when I first get to work and everyone says, ‘Awww we are so glad you’re here tonight.’ That’s how everyone should get to start their day.”
What’s the hardest part of your job? “The hardest part of my day is reminding myself I am human and I can’t do everything all the time. Some days require more than you have to give. We have to remind ourselves we are a team.”
What’s your favorite memory about working with CareerStaff? “I love having open communication with everyone. I am able to email the manager, recruiter, staffing specialist, etc. and I always get a response. I am truly thankful for that. So glad I said yes!”
Is there anything you’ve learned over the course of your career that you think young healthcare professionals should know? “It can be easy to get bogged down in the shortcomings of your job, facility, or organization. Sometimes you don’t have everything that you might need, whether you’re short on supplies or short-staffed, for example. All you can do is keep trying with the resources you have – things beyond that are out of your control. Focus on what you can change, not on what you can’t.”
Meet Juliet
Juliet has been a certified nursing assistant for five years now and has always known she’s been destined for a career in healthcare. She’s been a member of our CareerStaff family since early 2021, and so far she tells us she has been “loving it!”
Juliet’s daily impact on her patient’s lives is her favorite part of being a clinician, and the personal accomplishment of which she is most proud.
“Knowing I’ve helped make a difference in someone’s every day is beyond rewarding for me!”
“I have a bigger appreciation for the older generations,” she tells us. “How much they have gone through so that we can experience life the way it is today.”
But that’s not the only part of the job that she finds inspirational and fulfilling. Over the years she’s experienced changes in the day-to-day of the industry, but it’s her patients that have left a lasting mark.
Kind and caring, she is inspired by her work as a clinician to live life to the fullest and to be kind to others.
“I am inspired to lend people a helping hand outside of work,” she said. “And to live every day like it’s your last!”
4 Quick Questions!
What’s the best part of your day? “The best part of my day is when I go into work and get to ask how my members have been doing and listening to their stories – past and present.”
What’s the hardest part of your job? “The hardest part of my day is the slower part of the shifts.”
Is there anything you’ve learned over the course of your career that you think young healthcare professionals should know? “Teamwork and communication are key!”
What’s your favorite memory of working with CareerStaff? “I appreciate how flexible the Carrestaff staff has been with my schedule!”
Meet Spencer
Like Juliet, Spencer has been a phlebotomist for five years. His inspiration for beginning a career in healthcare dates back to his time in the military in Iraq in 2008.
“I saw many people, civilians, and military injured,” he told us. “I wanted to do more than just my duty as a soldier.”
Over the years, he’s seen changes in his day-to-day life as a clinician, but he cites the biggest change as the ongoing pandemic. “Many workers either lost their jobs or quit when the pandemic hit. A few of us chose to stand our ground and help when others chose another path.”
Spencer’s experience with being able to quickly adapt to change and his attentiveness have helped him save many lives, and these traits are what he finds the most inspirational part of the job.
“I’d have to say, the most inspirational part about working in healthcare is the ability to adapt and overcome – similar to the military when I was a soldier.”
Not only are these traits what he finds the most inspirational about his job, but they also are the reasons for one of Spencer’s favorite memories as a clinician.
“My favorite memory in the healthcare setting was my first time scrubbing in on an OB surgery,” he tells us. “The fact that I can step up with doctors ready at any moment’s notice is not just a job but in my mind, it becomes a family team mindset. We saved the mom and her twins in an emergency C-section.”
Having joined the CareerStaff family earlier this year, Spencer has already had some great memories. He cites his first assignment with CareerStaff as his most memorable because of his recruiter, Maria.
“She worked so hard and proved herself to get me a contract in Wisconsin,” he tells us. “She landed me a job that was not just a job, but the location. I’ve met people that I will always call family.”
4 Quick Questions!
What’s the best part of your day? “I’d say the best part of my day is at the end of the day, knowing that I will go home and the patients I’ve cared for got the best care they deserved.”
What’s the hardest part of your day? “The hardest part of my job is not being the first person to stick someone that’s been stuck over and over. I go in to draw someone’s blood and it gets done every time right the first time.”
Is there anything you’ve learned over the course of your career that you think young healthcare professionals should know? “Many younger healthcare professionals in my opinion should have the opportunity to get more clinicals in different healthcare settings to see a broader spectrum of scenarios.”
What’s the personal accomplishment of which you’re most proud? “My personal accomplishment that I am most proud of is the time I responded to a cardiac arrest code. Drew the patient’s blood, sent it to the lab, and then during compressions, I saw the doctor and nurses getting exhausted so I stepped in and helped them with compressions and we saved his life.”
Interested in joining professionals like Kathleen, Juliet, and Spencer in America’s leading recruitment network for nurses and clinicians? We always have great opportunities across the United States! Learn more about the benefits of working with CareerStaff here, or start searching for a new job now.