Courtney Cordero

Courtney Cordero, RN

at DaVita Briarcrest Dialysis

JENNY TWITCHELL Special to The Eagle

While at Blinn College in Bryan, Courtney Cordero, RN, completed her clinicals at a dialysis center, and she knew right away – dialysis nursing was for her.

After graduating from nursing school in 2006 as an LVN, Cordero worked at a nursing home in Navasota, but as soon as a dialysis job opened at DaVita Briarcrest Dialysis in 2007, she jumped at the chance to work there, and has been there ever since.

“I think dialysis is a really cool process, and I knew right away that hospital nursing wasn’t going to be my thing; I didn’t want to see different patients all the time,” Cordero said. “I wanted to build relationships with my patients, so dialysis seemed like a good fit.”

While she’s worked at DaVita Dialysis, she went back to school to become an RN, and she can’t imagine doing anything else as a nurse, she said.

“I love it because I get to walk beside people during what, a lot of times, is the hardest time of their life,” Cordero said.

Dialysis nurses treat people who are managing chronic kidney disease and failure, which often necessitates receiving dialysis for multiple hours a week to replace the function of the kidney. Realizing that you need this life sustaining treatment can be hard to hear, Cordero said.

“That can be a slap in the face,” Cordero said. “But I am here to help people walk through that initial shock. I love being able to educate them about what’s going to happen and then seeing them feel better as they get their treatment. Watching that transition from shock, disbelief, and worry to ‘Ok, I’m actually going to be OK, I’m going to live with this,’ I love that.”

As a peritoneal dialysis nurse, Cordero helps her patients realize that dialysis is not a death sentence, but that patients can have some quality of life.

“It’s very rewarding, when they come in so often, you get to know them very well,” Cordero said. “You get the privilege of caring for them. I just love to see people that I met when I started in dialysis 14 years ago that are still here and getting to enjoy their families, so I love everything about it.”

One client in particular stands out for Cordero – a patient who was on dialysis for 30 years who was able to see her kids grow up and grandchildren born, be active in her church, and be doing what she loved for so long.

“She was always the first one to meet new patients in the lobby and say, ‘Hey, it’s going to be ok,’” Cordero said. “She explained what patients can expect, and that meant a lot coming from someone who is going through the same thing.”

This patient didn’t just help fellow patients, but she had an impact on Cordero as well.

“The way that she just embraced what was put in front of her and did the best with what she was dealing with, it was encouraging to me,” Cordero said. “I don’t have chronic illnesses, but it’s just such a good reminder to take what I’m given and do the best I can with it and try to find the joy in every day.”

When Cordero isn’t working, she enjoys spending time with her family, including her 9-year-old son, being active with her church family, reading, cooking, and resetting so that she has the energy to be the best nurse she can, she said.

“I think really my biggest strength is taking the time to listen to patients and what they’re telling me, so that I can know what kind of information they need from me,” Cordero said. “I want to know what their biggest concerns are, so listening is a huge part of being able to help them effectively.”

Also, loving people easily is a must as a nurse, Cordero said.

“if you’re not a people person, nursing may not be for you,” Cordero said. “But also, I think it’s taking the time to explain things to patients in a way that they can understand. A lot of times we fear things we don’t know about, so information can dispel fear, so I want to make sure they understand everything.”

Courtney is the kind of nurse who treats the patients like family, said Kate Parmer, Regional Home Manager.

“She goes above and beyond to make sure they feel at home at the center,” Parmer said. “The quality I admire most in Courtney is her ability to anticipate a need before it arises and keep her patients wellbeing a top priority.”