In Rhode Island , our six degrees of separation are more like three , so chances are you know a local nurse . Maybe they ’ re your mother , brother , neighbor or friend . You ’ ve likely shared a laugh with a nurse while they distracted you from a blood draw , or welcomed a hug from one following some difficult news . In one way or another , nurses have touched all of our lives — but never more so than in the past year . In the following pages , we , in partnership with the Rhode Island State Nurses Association , proudly honor and highlight fourteen leading examples of courage , strength and care in this field — from home health nurses to nurse educators — and we ’ d also like to take a minute to recognize the efforts put in by all the state ’ s nursing heroes . And who better to help us than Margaret Clifton , state director of the Rhode Island Board of Nurse Registration and Nursing Education ?
For the last eighteen months , Rhode Island ’ s nurses have worked countless hours in hospitals , field hospitals , long-term care facilities and other types of health care facilities to care for patients , families and colleagues affected by COVID-19 . That was where people would expect to see nurses working .
What Rhode Islanders may not realize is that there were also nurses who worked behind the scenes on the COVID-19 Response Team at the Department of Health ( RIDOH ) to do case investigation , contact tracing , education for other providers and the public . They also provided clinical input on COVID-19 protocols , managed the department ’ s clinical COVID-19 hotline and assisted with the planning and implementation of the statewide COVID-19 vaccination clinics .
Outside of the health department , nurses came out of retirement to assist in all aspects of the pandemic . RIDOH was able to issue temporary licenses to bring more nurses into the state to work in facilities that had staffing shortages . Nursing faculties changed their teaching practices from in-person to virtual classes and testing . They also increased the use of simulation practices when students could not enter health care facilities to care for patients .
Like many other front line health care workers and essential workforce members , nurses did all of this while simultaneously facing the day-today challenges that COVID-19 brought for all Rhode Islanders . On behalf of the Department of Health and the Rhode Island State Board of Nursing , I ’ d like to extend our collective thanks , gratitude and appreciation to all of the nurses who stepped up and answered the call to help respond to this pandemic . You all make us proud .
Margaret L . Clifton
MS , RN-BC , CLNC
WENDY A . CHICOINE
RN , MSN PHNA , Associate Vice President of Clinical Operations and Education at Providence Community Health Centers
COMMUNITY / PUBLIC HEALTH NURSE
OF THE YEAR
HOW DID YOU GET INTO NURSING ? When my second child was born , I noticed there was something different about the alignment of her eyes . After consulting with a specialist , she was diagnosed with Duane syndrome , a congenital eye movement disorder characterized by horizontal eye movement limitations . When my husband and I got the diagnosis , I began researching . We were fortunate it was not life-threatening , but I wanted to understand how it would affect our daughter ’ s life . In her case , surgery was an option , and we decided that it would be best . I remember how frightened and helpless I felt when she was brought to the operating room . I also remember how kind and supportive the staff were , especially the nurses . The surgery went well , and while sitting with my daughter at a follow-up appointment , I had an “ ah-ha ” moment . I realized what I was meant to do with my life . I wanted to care for others during their time of need , just as those nurses did for us . That afternoon , I told my husband I was quitting my job and enrolling in the nursing program .
WHAT ’ S YOUR FAVORITE PART OF YOUR ROLE ? My favorite part is being in the community . I began my career at Providence Community Health Centers as a clinic nurse , and during that time , I learned about community health centers and primary care . | | CONTINUED ON PAGE 71
54 RHODE ISLAND MONTHLY l SEPTEMBER 2021