Last Updated on December 13, 2021
Introducing the August 2021 CareerStaff Clinicians of the Month! We offer our warmest congratulations to Breon, Natalie and Tashina, three amazing healthcare workers who are also proud members of the CareerStaff Unlimited nationwide network. Please join us in celebrating and thanking these incredible professionals — and to everyone in the CareerStaff network, thank you! You are appreciated!
Introducing the August 2021 CareerStaff Clinicians of the Month!
Meet Breon
A working clinician for about five years now, Breon remembers the first time she realized she was destined for a career in healthcare when her oldest brother was diagnosed with stage three cancer: “I just remember watching how well the staff took care of him and wanting to help,” she told us.
Although her professional accomplishments have given her the most personal satisfaction — she’s proud to have earned a CNA license, and then continued onto college to become a nurse — it’s the patient interactions that continue to inspire her on a day-to-day basis.
“My favorite memory is always when an individual gets well enough to move out and they come hug me goodbye,” she said. “It makes me proud of what I do to make a difference, and it lets me know that I’ve done a good job.”
She also finds it inspiring that the families of the patients she cares for “trust us enough to leave them in our care,” she said. “You are taking care of people at the lowest point in their lives sometimes, and they have to have a great amount of trust in you to let you do that, because sometimes they don’t really understand what’s going on.”
Although she’s relatively new to the CareerStaff family, having joined us a few months ago, Breon already has some great memories to show for her experience. She told us that her favorite part was the initial orientation, “because everyone was so nice and Ms. Carson made sure I had everything I needed and always checked in.”
4 Quick Questions!
What’s the best part of your day? “When I first arrive and say hello, if my individuals remember my face and their eyes light up or they smile or laugh. It makes all the hard work seem worth it because they look at you in a positive way.”
What’s the hardest part of your job? “If someone gets hurt or sick or has to go out to the hospital it can get really upsetting because you want to know what you could’ve done better to prevent it, or you just hope and pray for their healing.”
What’s the biggest change you’ve seen in nursing in recent years? “It’s definitely a lot more structured, as far as care plans for individuals being more specific and dedicated towards helping them get well enough to be more independent. There are also much better opportunities for growth and learning for staff.”
Is there anything you’ve learned over the course of your career that you’d like to share? “I think young healthcare professionals should not be afraid to speak up when they have an opinion on someone’s quality of care. Different perspectives can help save lives. Even if you don’t feel like you are educated enough, or if the person you’re telling is your superior — the bigger picture is someone’s quality of life.”
Meet Natalie
Natalie received her LPN license back in 2015, and has been working with CareerStaff since May, 2021. Her inspiration to become a nurse dates back to 2009, when she was in her mid-40s and found herself providing care for family members out of necessity.
“I was laid off from my job in manufacturing and found myself caregiving for family,” she told us. “A neighbor, a lifelong friend who is an RN, said, ‘Natalie, go back to school and get paid well for what you’re doing. You’re good at it!’ So at 45, back to school I went!”
It should come as no surprise, then, that Natalie considers “going back to school at 45 and getting two associates degrees, one in general studies and one in nursing,” as one of the personal accomplishments she’s proudest of. “The other is raising my son as a single mom,” she said. “He’s 31 now and accomplishing his own great things!”
During her time as a nurse, she’s worked principally in home healthcare. “Time spent with clients in their homes learning about them and families is special to me,” she told us. She also finds inspiration in “the stories and struggles of patients,” she said. “No matter how difficult the struggle, the perseverance and strength to fight for existence and health is inspiring.”
Though she’s been a nurse for less than a decade, she also told us that she’s seen the impact that new technology has made in healthcare. Far from being reluctant to embrace the trend, she told us that she feels that clinicians are now more empowered “to do more with less, with some great advancements in technology to help us help patients!”
4 Quick Questions!
What’s the best part of your day? “The first rounds of floor, greeting patients and checking on how they are, what they need and how they’ve been since my last shift.”
What’s the hardest part of your job? “As an empath/fixer personality, it is when I’m dealing with a hospice patient’s illness that can’t be ‘fixed’ or healed. But I realize I’m helping the best I can by keeping them comfortable and as pain free as possible.”
Is there anything you’ve learned over the course of your career that you’d like to share? “Always take the training and keep learning, have empathy for your patients and be kind!”
What’s your favorite memory of working with CareerStaff? “Well, I’d have to say accomplishing my first day. I hadn’t worked a floor in a facility for five years! I was a little scared and full of anxiety. But I did it — it was fun dealing with patients and my coworkers were awesome!”
Meet Tashina
Like Natalie, Tashina has also been a clinician for six years now. She’s also been part of the CareerStaff team for just over a year, and she told us about what she’s liked most about the experience: “CareerStaff was the first staffing agency I’ve worked for and my recruiter was wonderful helping me transition to my first placement,” she said.
That means that she’s also spent the majority of the Covid-19 pandemic as a CareerStaff clinician. Difficult as that time has been, she told us that it’s also often served as a source of inspiration, too.
“With all of us experiencing Covid as clinicians, I feel as though there’s a more comradely attitude amongst the different realms of healthcare,” she said, “and it’s really great to see!”
She also explained that her motivation to work as a healthcare worker came from experiencing a beloved family member’s healthcare experience. “When my grandmother was hospitalized, I saw the impact the healthcare workers had on her recovery and wanted to be a part of that experience for someone else,” she said.
Since then, inspiration has come in a few other forms, too. She also told us about a favorite memory “helping to resuscitate a baby after a complicated birth, and being able to see the mother hold her child.”
4 Quick Questions!
What’s the best part of your day? “When we do family visits. A lot of people now have limited access to their families since the pandemic and it’s nice to see them reconnect.”
What’s the personal accomplishment of which you’re most proud? “Receiving a kudos from my job because it proved that my hard work was noticed by my co-workers.”
What do you find most inspirational about working in healthcare? “Being able to see people progress.”
Is there anything you’ve learned during your career that you’d like to share with others? “Our patients are also people too, and that’s how they should be treated. We can never assume we know where a person comes from or how they are handling their current situation, so kindness and compassion is always key.”
Join Tashina, Natalie and Breon in the nation’s leading clinical job network! We’re staffing great assignments in facilities across the United States. You can search all of our open jobs here, or get the ball rolling today by filling out our quick online application.