EXCELLENCE IN NURSING AWARDS 2018
EXCELLENCE IN NURSING AWARDS
COMMUNITY HEALTH/HOME
HEALTH NURSE OF THE YEAR
Rhonda Goldstein, RN
Staff Nurse at the Cedars – Cedar Home Health
HOW DID YOU GET INTO NURSING?
Remember the song, “Help Me, Rhonda” by the Beach Boys? Well, everyone was
always saying it to me, and as a child at the time, I took it to heart. I would pretend
to give shots to my sisters and bandage up my pets (they were so cooperative!).
Then, during my senior year in high school, I worked the graveyard shift Fridays
into Saturdays at Cedar Crest and became a CNA just to see if I really wanted to
become a nurse. I did. And so it went.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PART ABOUT YOUR ROLE?
I get to sit and talk to patients and their families. I become part of their family for a
short time, in some ways closer than a sibling if I change wounds and other tasks
that no one else can do. I help them think outside the box and come up with ways
to help themselves become as independent as possible.
WHAT EFFECT HAS COVID-19 HAD
ON YOU AS A NURSE?
What a ride! It changed how one thinks about home visits. You have to
cover up head to toe and work your schedule around their visit. I always
wore a tank top and shorts under my uniform so that I could take off the
PPE, uniform, shoes and bag to be washed. It is second nature for us to
take stock, assess and do what is safe for the patient, family and nurse.
Most of all, we prioritized making patients feel safe and that they will
make it through this — you see their fears lessen each visit.
Educating and empowering
nurses to enrich the health
and well-being of all people.
ric.edu/nursing
Celebrating
50 YEARS OF
NURSING
EXCELLENCE
outstanding faculty,
like our very own
melinda hodne, d.n.p.
consistently high pass
rates on national nclex-rn
and aprn examinations
state-of-the-art
simulation experiences
exceptional leadership
and a new dean,
carolynn masters,
ph.d., r.n.
2020 excellence in nursing
honorees from ric
denise flores, b.s.n. '88, me.d., '09
prof. melinda hodne, d.n.p.
judith lynch b.s.n. '03
ashley mcauslin, b.s.n. '08
maria h. medeiros, b.s.n. '90
joan salhany b.s.n. '76
72 RHODE ISLAND MONTHLY l OCTOBER 2020