It’s National Nurses Week and Whitney Young Health knows how invaluable our nursing staff is. This week, we’re highlighting a few nurses who come from different backgrounds and have different experiences, but all have changed the lives of our patients for the better.
Meet Sharell! Sharell is an LPN who works in Women’s Health at our Albany Health Center. When asked what is her favorite part of being a nurse at WYH, she said:
“My favorite part of being a nurse is helping all of the diverse cultures here at WYH. I also love our Nursing staff, it’s a good team, it’s a good family. I care for the patients here and we create a real bond with our regulars.”
Meet Tasha, an LPN at Whitney Young Health’s Troy Health Center. When asked what her favorite experience has been working at WYH, she said:
“I really enjoy taking care of our patients and making a positive difference in their lives when it comes to their health. I also enjoy the team that work with.”
Now we introduce you to Gina Picarilo, MSN, RN, CPN who is our Director of Nursing and Laura Davis, RN, MSN who is our Nursing Supervisor for our Albany Health Center.
We asked them what inspired them to serve in a leadership role in nursing:
Gina said, “I have always wanted to do what’s best for the patient as a staff nurse. Now, as a nurse leader, I am able to take my staff nurses’ experiences and set the tone and drive the vision of systems and processes for nurses to do the ‘right’ thing for the patient. When you see people flourish, it’s so great. It’s also so inspiring to watch nurses grow professionally! Whitney Young Health has given me an opportunity to experience another aspect of nursing in my career. The nursing profession is by far the largest and most diverse career choice. I am lucky to have experienced many different roles and Whitney Young has been a great choice for me!”
Laura added to that by saying, “I have been an informal leader in many aspects all of my life. I enjoy combining my personality traits and my 30 years of vast professional nursing experiences to make sure that excellence in nursing care is happening for the patient. Ensuring this is occurring, while the providers and the staff feel supported, happy to come to work, and listened to, is the key. Putting that all together to make the patient see the teamwork that occurs is priceless. I am extremely proud to be a Nurse, a Supervisor, and part of the Whitney Young Health team!”
Now it’s time to meet Katherine! Katherine is an RN at Whitney Young Health’s Harry & Jeanette Weinberg Treatment Center.
When asked what has been her favorite experience as a Nurse at WYH, she said, “My favorite experience has been being able to build relationships with my patients and knowing what’s going in their lives and helping provide not only their mental health care, but their primary care as well. I’m also a big fan of WYH’s mission to provide health care to everyone, even if they can’t afford it or not.”
And lastly, we’d like to highlight Denise. Denise is an RN who works in both Women’s Health and Pediatrics as a Care Coordinator at our Albany Health Center.
When asked what has been her favorite experience so far at WYH, she said:
“My favorite experience has been getting to learn all about the different cultures that our patients come from and being able to use the Language Line Line.It helps us relate to the patient and makes it easier for them to understand what we are discussing medically.”
Is there a nurse at Whitney Young Health you’d like to highlight for all the work they’ve done? If so, comment below and let us know!