COMMUNITY HEALTH / PUBLIC HEALTH NURSE claire Haynes , BSN , Rn
Senior Director of Nursing & Workforce Development , Thundermist Community Health Center
Why did you choose nursing as a career ? Sometimes , the path life takes us on can be filled with unexpected twists and turns . In high school , a career in nursing was not something that was on my radar . I preferred the arts over sciences and went on to earn a degree in journalism . Life , however , would guide me in a new direction . My daughter was diagnosed with cancer at the age of eighteen months and later relapsed at the age of three . Though initially feeling woefully unprepared and overwhelmed , I would go on to learn how to care for her many needs with the guidance from her care team , including many exceptional nurses . Our experience allowed me to not only grow in my role as a parent and caregiver but to also recognize that I had something to offer others facing challenging medical situations . That realization would set me on a new path toward | | CONTINUED ON PAGE 82
NURSE IN A NONTRADITIONAL SETTING
Steven Katz , rn
Nurse Coordinator , RI Training School Medical Clinic
What do you think makes a successful nursing team ? Respecting one another ’ s opinions and thoughts . Knowing that we are there to serve a purpose : to provide unbiased and equal medical care to every resident at the same time . All of us go above and beyond our job specifications at times to help the youth we serve and one another . Communicating with one another is really important , especially when there ’ s a small core of us working together , whether we agree or not .
Describe a day in the life as a nurse at the RI Training School . Our day is from 7 a . m . to 11 p . m . with two shifts . The day starts with a medication pass while at the same time providing sick and injury assistance and triaging who may need to be seen in the clinic that day . The medical and psychiatry clinics are held two to three times per week and a dental team comes in . Nurses must have a diverse knowledge and ability to work with various clinicians and teams . Once we ’ re done with med pass , we come back | | CONTINUED ON PAGE 82
RHODE ISLAND MONTHLY l SEPTEMBER 2023 71