EXPANDING OPPORTUNITIES

Jill Holmstrom sees many options for nurses

Words by Connie Wirta

Jill Holmstrom sees a world of opportunities for nurses.

“With Fargo-Moorhead growing and healthcare services expanding, there are unlimited opportunities for nurses,” said Holmstrom, an experienced registered nurse who has taught nursing at Concordia College in Moorhead.

“At Essentia Health-Fargo, it’s an amazing time,” she said. “We’re expanding, so it’s a great time to come in. We have so many options for both new nurses and experienced ones.”

When Holmstrom began her nursing career at a small community hospital in Oakes, N.D., nurses started on medical and surgical units. Now new nurses are entering a variety of units, such as obstetrics and critical care. “Some units require experience, but a lot don’t,” she said.

The former college professor advises young nurses to explore their options and find the best fit. “Look for what fits your life and your likes, both personally and professionally. You’ll find it here,” said Holmstrom, nurse manager of the Care Management and Float Teams at Essentia Health-Fargo. Last spring, 84 nursing graduates decided to join Essentia.

Love and caring prompted Holmstrom’s first nursing job. When her grandfather entered a nursing home, she became a certified nursing assistant there. “I didn’t trust them to take good care of him, so I started working as a CNA,” she recalled. That experience led her to become a licensed practical nurse and then a registered nurse.

In 2001, Holmstrom begin working in Essentia Health-Fargo’s Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Her daughter, Mari, spent two months there after being born premature in 1997. “We brought her home on her due date,” she recalls.

“My own experience drew me to NICU nursing,” Holmstrom said. “I saw the difference I could make, not just for the babies but for the parents and families. The parents felt they could leave for the night and trust you with the most precious thing in their lives.”

Holmstrom, now 44 and the mother of two, earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing at the University of Mary in Bismarck. She went on to earn a master’s degree in nursing leadership and a doctorate degree in educational leadership from the University of Phoenix while working as a hospital nurse and teaching nursing at Concordia College.

Holmstrom said she continued to work as a nurse while teaching because she believed it was important to stay current on nursing practice. “I never wanted to be a nursing professor who hadn’t set foot in a hospital for years,” she said. “I wanted to help my students become better nurses. And I just loved what I did as a hospital nurse.”

Holmstrom believes nurses play a unique and critical role in caring for patients and their families. “In the hospital, you see the day-to-day impact you have on people’s lives,” she said. “What patients remember is how you make them feel, not what you did to them.”

After 10 years of teaching, Holmstrom decided last year to work full-time as a supervisor at Essentia Health-Fargo.

“I asked myself, ‘What is my calling?’ and this is where my heart is,” she said. “I want to make a bigger impact with patients.”

Holmstrom knew Essentia Health-Fargo and its people were committed to providing excellent patient care. The hospital’s work environment and culture also were factors in her decision.

“You’re important to the organization no matter what role you play,” Holmstrom said. “Every employee makes a difference. That’s how we can provide great care to our patients.”

Holmstrom pointed out that teamwork is one of Essentia’s values. “And that’s not just on paper, we live it every day,” she said. “It’s not about who pays the most, it’s how you’re treated as an employee. Here, your vice president knows you by name.”