NURSING TEAM
SEATED IN FRONT LEFT TO RIGHT : Julia Catanzaro , RN ; Clinical Director Virginia Magnan , RN .
OF THE YEAR
STANDING LEFT TO RIGHT BACK ROW : Jennifer Tullo , RN ; Assistant Nurse Manager Jackie Eaton , RN ; June Gianlorenzo , RN ; Amy Krawiec , RN ; Assistant Nurse Manager Breda Hines , RN ; Lead Clinical Nurse , Cathy Bedard , RN ; Wendy Allen-O ’ Donnell , RN ; Natalina Gomes , RN ; Jillian Metz , RN ; Lead Clinical Nurse , Mary Jackson , RN ; Monique Boulanger , RN ; Sarah Lehoux , RN ; Allison Dapont , RN .
HOPE HEALTH HULITAR HOSPICE CENTER
* Interview with clinical director , Virginia Magnan , RN
WHAT DO YOU THINK MAKES FOR A SUCCESSFUL NURSING TEAM ? First and foremost , we all must have the same goal . We all must head in the same direction . We are here to serve those who are seriously ill and dying and to make sure that they are as comfortable and in as dignified surroundings as possible . All of us who work here realize we have a purpose that is larger than ourselves . We want to treat everyone not only as we would want to be treated , but also as we would want our family members to be treated . Every single piece of that puzzle — nurses , chaplains , social workers , physicians , aides , grief counselors and administrative assistants — is present and we ’ re able to work together to provide what the patient and family wants . As the clinical director , my goal is to have ten-minute huddles every day with the team . We talk about levels of care and about any social or psychosocial issues that patients and families might be having . For instance , you might have a family that is hesitant about morphine so there ’ s a lot of education surrounding that . We explain why morphine is needed and how it ’ s administered , and that it does not hasten or cause death .
TELL US ABOUT SOME OF THE CHALLENGES YOUR TEAM FACED AS A RESULT OF THE PANDEMIC . Uncertainty and fear were the biggest challenges we had to overcome . All we knew was that the virus was highly contagious , there was a global shortage of PPE and that we needed to care for COVID-19 patients because it ’ s our mission . If we can ’ t take care of patients who are dying , then who will ? Our first COVID-19 patient arrived on April 3 — I still remember his name . The anticipation was so heavy . When he came through , we were all preparing ourselves : What is this going to be like ? How is this going to affect the building , the staff , everything ? And then , you see him come through and you think , “ Oh , this man is dying . Like all our patients , he deserves dignity at end of life .” Once I saw him , I said , “ We can do this .” We reserved eight rooms on the third floor for COVID patients . It was good for staff to see these patients and talk with them . The families were , in many cases , much more scared and were so grateful to be able to see their loved ones at the Hulitar Hospice Center , especially because they weren ’ t able to see them in other settings like the hospital . Since the beginning of the pandemic , we followed CDC guidelines , limiting the number of visitors and putting screening measures in place to ensure the safety of our patients , families and staff . There was this need for connection and this desire for families to be together at the worst time in their lives . We were the only people who were able to provide that .
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