UNSUNG HEROES 2024
Angie Hacker and her mother Sandra Brown studied nursing together . | PHOTO CONTRIBUTED
take charge .
Hacker noted , “ My mom was always right there to help ... She inspired me to be more confident at the bedside .”
As Hacker developed her skills and grew more confident , she began to find the fast-paced environment of the hospital emergency department — commonly known as ER — more suitable . Today , she even calls it “ her jam .”
Being comfortable in the hectic ER is something that Hacker takes pride in .
This pride comes not from an inflated sense of self nor the level of her ability ; instead , it comes from her status as a pillar for new nurses to both lean on and learn from .
A large part of Hacker ’ s
Page 10 role at Saint Joseph London is showing new nurses the ropes and teaching them invaluable lessons .
Hacker views her role as a teacher as a crucial aspect of not her only students continued success , but her own success as well .
She said , “ Continuing to learn in nursing is imperative to provide the best care possible for patients . I enjoy learning and then turning around and sharing that knowledge . In some ways , nursing could be compared to a team sport or even military groups … ’ You ’ re only as strong as your weakest link .’ Those that work beside you will be your eyes and ears when you are busy or tied up with a critical or busy patient . It may be a new hire that isn ’ t familiar with the atmosphere , new grads that have very little experience , nurses who are seasoned in years but may be asked to work out of their comfort zone , or a student who is starting at the beginning … You just have to keep the mind frame that there is always something for you to learn ... I wanted to get into being a nursing instructor as well just to help lay that foundation before they even get started . You aren ’ t done when you graduate … You aren ’ t done after several years of experience ... You aren ’ t even done when you retire .”
Hacker further said , “ I tell all of my students : nursing school will teach you how to pass your tests ... but experience here will teach you how to be a nurse ...
“ ER nurses are a different breed . We are messy ,” she continued . “ We throw trash in the floor during an emergency . We throw gloves at the trash in a hurry . But , we also throw ourselves into the moment people need us the most … at their most vulnerable times we try to be their protector .”
Hacker wants to dispel the belief among many that nurses often “ eat their young .” Veteran nurses have often been characterized as not wanting rookies to interfere with their set-in-stone routines or practices . However , Hacker believes that this is not the way forward .
“ I have always tried to be nice good to students and new hires ,” she said . “ Since Covid , a lot of nurses have left the bedside ; we have realized that we have to help the new grads .”
The pandemic presented a multitude of challenges to everyone , especially healthcare workers . As hospitals reached capacity , nurses cloaked in protective equipment often had to work long hours with little break , ending their shift by removing their sweat-soaked gear .
Beyond the physical challenges placed on healthcare workers , the mental strain of constant tragedy during Covid provoked many nurses to leave bedside care or even leave the profession entirely . For Hacker , these challenges presented a quandary .
She did not want to leave her chosen profession , but she found herself unable to leave work at work .
Hacker noted that her family , her mother especially , told her to “ leave work at work .”
In that arduous time ,