Erie Times-News NurseWeek 2020

Friday, May 1, 2020 | The Erie Times-News

Erie Times-N News thanks you!

Here’s a virtual hug for all our nurses

By Pam Parker Erie Times-News

Many of us are lucky enough to have nurses as friends or family members.

They’re the people we call even before we search the web for whatever is ailing us. These healthcare professionals help us through scary situations every day – even more so right now.

This is the first year we’ve ever been sheltering at home as we celebrate Nurses Week amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

In this supplement to the Erie Times-News, we salute and celebrate the women and men who take care of us when we are sick and scared. In all, we have more than 20 stories about and by nurses in today's Erie Times-News and online at GoErie.com.

Nurses deserve to be honored every day, but this year, we hope it's even more special. National Nurses Week 2020 starts on Wednesday and ends on May 12, the birthday of Florence Nightingale. We can’t hug nurses right now due to social distancing, but we certainly can thank them.

Thank you for risking your own health to take care of all of us.

Contact Pam Parker at pam.parker@timesnews. com. Follow her on Twitter at www.twitter. com/HerTimesErie.

Sister nurses join forces at UPMC Hamot

By David Bruce Erie TImes-News

Mackenzie Troyan has been proud to follow in the footsteps of her older sister, Taylor.

The 22-year-old Butler native chose to become a registered nurse, just like Taylor Troyan did. She also attended Penn State Behrend, where her sister was already enrolled.

The two sisters even played together for a season on the Behrend women’s soccer team.

“Whatever Taylor did, I wanted to do,” Mackenzie Troyan said.

The sisters’ journey together has taken them to UPMC Hamot, where they work together in a unit that treats patients with COVID-19.

Mackenzie Troyan is caring for patients, while Taylor Troyan was on light duty before she was scheduled to undergo back surgery on April 16.

“I remember the day she texted me that she volunteered to be a COVID nurse,” said Taylor Troyan, 25. “I was scared for her.”

Mackenzie Troyan said it was a logical choice.

See UPMC, N12

Registered nurse Cass Butler, 23, switched from neurology care to COVID-19 care while working at Saint Vincent Hospital in Erie.

Butler is shown outside the hospital on April 11. [GREG WOHLFORD/ERIE TIMES-NEWS]

ERIE NEURO NURSE SWITCHED TO

COVID-19 care MORE ONLINE

By David Bruce Erie TImes-News

Cass Butler’s job as a registered nurse at Saint Vincent Hospital was to care for patients who had suffered seizures, strokes, and other brain illnesses or injuries.

The COVID-19 pandemic changed all of that.

Since late March, Butler and most of the nurses in her unit have been caring for patents infected with the new coronavirus.

“Our unit, 9 North, has become a COVID roll-out unit,” said Butler, 23. “Saint Vincent has a few places for COVID patients so we don’t expose high-risk patients to this dangerous virus.”

Converting a neurosciences unit into a place to treat COVID19 patients took more effort than bringing in ventilators and making more negative air-flow patient rooms.

Butler and her fellow nurses underwent critical-care education. Saint Vincent has trained 40 nurses to assist in caring for COVID-19 patients “We knew we would need more critical-care nurses since there is a shortage anyway,” said Sallie Piazza, R.N., Saint

Find all our Nurses’ Week stories: www.GoErie.com/Topics/ Nurses-Week-2020

Vincent’s chief nursing officer. “These inpatient nurses started taking ventilator classes, critical-care classes and other education.”

Some of the classes were held at the hospital and others were taught online. Though Butler had learned critical care in nursing school, it was important for her and her fellow nurses to take these classes and learn handson in the hospital’s critical-care units.

“One of the basic things we taught involved nurse’s personal protective equipment,” Piazza said, referring to the gear worn by doctors and nurses when treating COVID-19 patients.

“It’s a big deal to learn how you put on the equipment and take it off so that you don’t contaminate yourself or someone else.”

Butler also learned how to monitor a ventilator, one of the most important pieces of equipment for treating COVID-19 patients who are seriously ill.

Though the nurses don’t place a patient or remove them from

ventilators, they must regularly monitor these machines that help patients breathe.

“I monitor the patient and make sure the ventilator is working properly,” Butler said.

“If it isn’t, I need to contact the respiratory team.”

The biggest day-to-day change for Butler and the other neuro nurses has been wearing the PPEs whenever they enter a COVID-19 patient’s room.

Butler and her fellow inpatient nurses have responded wonderfully during this crisis, Piazza said.

“They have risen to the occasion,” Piazza said. “These nurses have said, ’This is like taking care of any other infectious disease.’”

Though Erie has been fortunate not to have a large number of COVID-19 patients, Butler said the pandemic has changed everyone’s attitude.

“I don’t think anyone feels the same as they did before all of this,” Butler said in early April.

“There is a little bit of heaviness in the air. We just hope it doesn’t get as bad here as it has in New York City and some other places.”

Contact David Bruce at dbruce@ timesnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ETNBruce.

Pennsylvania makes nursing certification changes to aid COVID-19 response

By Kevin Flowers Erie Times-News

Janet Wright wants to do more to help combat COVID-19 and the state of Pennsylvania is giving Wright and other nurses a valuable assist.

Wright, 38, is set to graduate from Penn State Behrend in May with a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing.

However, the coronavirus pandemic will likely keep Wright and scores of other nursing school graduates statewide from being able to quickly take the National Council Licensure Examination, the nationwide licensing test for nurses in the U.S., and begin work as registered nurses.

That’s one reason why the Pennsylvania Department of State in March announced several changes regarding

Janet Wright is shown April 11 while taking a break from her job at St. Mary’s at Asbury Ridge in Millcreek Township. [GREG WOHLFORD/ERIE TIMES-NEWS]

administrative requirements for nurses to aid in the coronavirus response.

One of those changes includes the fast-tracking of permits that allow recent nursing school graduates or those who will soon graduate to practice as an R.N., under

the supervision of a more experienced nurse.

The move was among several announced by the Department of State on March 21. Thousands of nurses across the state are expected to take advantage of the various changes.

“We are taking this

action to ensure that Pennsylvania has plenty of nurses available to treat patients and that these nurses do not have to worry about renewing their licenses while responding to COVID19,” Pennsylvania Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar said.

Nursing school graduates who do not already have a graduate permit and have been issued authorizations to test by the state, but have been unable to sit for licensure examinations due to cancellation of exams because of COVID-19, can apply for a graduate permit.

That graduate permit authorizes graduate nurses to practice under supervision of a registered nurse until they can take the examinations.

See GRADS, N2

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Erie’s UPMC Hamot nurse now doctor of nursing Karen Beardsley UPMC media relations manager

Only 1 percent of nurses in this country have a doctoral degree and Laurie Glass just became one of them.

The Doctor of Nursing Practice, which Glass was awarded in January, is designed to prepare experts in nursing practice. It is the pinnacle of practice-focused nursing degrees, building upon master’s programs by providing an educational foundation in quality improvement, evidence-based practice, and systems leadership, among others.

Glass, who has worked in Magee-Womens, UPMC Hamot’s neonatal intensive care unit for 10 years, was able to pursue this degree with the help of a scholarship from the Hamot Health Foundation.

The scholarship covered a portion of her tuition for her online studies at Walden University.

“Without the foundation’s financial support, I wouldn’t have been able to complete my education for my doctorate degree,” said Glass. “I am grateful and appreciative of their support.”

Hamot Health Foundation is committed to funding scholarships for UPMC Hamot employees seeking to further their knowledge and career.

Each year, the foundation awards scholarships supporting employees pursuing advanced degrees, certifications and training opportunities in

all areas of health care.

“Last year, we provided over $350,000 in funding for continuing education,” said Jaimee Black, the foundation’s vice president of operations. “This number will continue to grow annually as we work to identify new opportunities to recruit and retain the best and the brightest health care talent.”

Working full time and raising four boys, ages 12 and younger, provided a challenge for Glass as she pursued her degree.

“Sometimes I don’t know how I was able to do it,” she said. “But the benefit to my career and my patients is worth it.”

Glass has a love for all babies and feels that the NICU is her calling. She said that her advanced education will enable her to bring evidence-based practices into the unit.

She is also appreciative of the support of her coworkers while getting her degree. “I wouldn’t have been able to do it without them. I completed many project hours in the unit, especially working closely with our medical director, Dr. Balsan.”

“I had the privilege of being Laurie’s faculty adviser and mentor during her pursuit of her doctorate degree,” said Michael Balsan, M.D., NICU medical director and chairman of pediatrics, Magee-Womens, UPMC Hamot. “Dr. Glass personifies the kind of talent and commitment we value in all the nurses in the NICU.It was inspiring to witness her evolution from a

skilled bedside neonatal nurse practitioner to an accomplished academic researcher, having mastered the skills necessary to increase our knowledge and hopefully to improve the care of our tiniest patients.

“The institutional support provided by the Hamot Health Foundation was invaluable in facilitating her training,” he added.

Glass’ 10 years as a nurse practitioner were spent in the NICU where, she said, bringing evidence into practice is always stressed. “UPMC is exemplary at implementing new technology such as telemedicine and video monitoring of babies to increase patient satisfaction.”

“From our volunteer cuddler program, which helps provide physical comfort to babies going through drug withdrawal or neonatal abstinence syndrome, to our Women’s Recovery Center, anoutpatient center for women with substance usedisorders who are pregnant or who have children, we are here for local women and their children who need assistance,” she said.

Glass received her Bachelor of Nursing from Case Western Reserve in Cleveland and her master’s in nursing from Wayne State University in Detroit. While Walden University is in Minnesota, Glass attended a graduation ceremony in St. Petersburg Beach, Florida, earlier this year, an appropriate reward for her hard work.

GRADS From Page N1

The permits expire if the graduate permit holder fails the examination.

Wright, a married mother of two who lives in Waterford, applied for one of those permits.

“The fact that the state is offering the opportunity to get these permits now and hit the ground running is great,” said Wright, who is already certified as a licensed practical nurse.

Wright has worked 12-hour nursing shifts for a decade at St. Mary’s at Asbury Ridge, a skilled nursing facility at 4855 West Ridge Road.

“I was hoping to take the NCLEX in June. Realistically I’m probably looking at late summer or early fall with everything that’s going on,” Wright said.

Viki Hedderick, an associate professor and assistant chairperson at Edinboro University’s Department of Nursing, said Pennsylvania has permitted new graduates to apply for temporary practice permits for many years, for good reason.

“They can work with an R.N. to learn the role prior to formally passing NCLEX,” Hedderick said.

Hedderick said the state and many hospitals are now “encouraging the use of temporary practice permits heavily as they anticipate a bigger lag from graduation until grads can take boards due to backlog related to closures of state boards of nursing and limited access to testing centers,” in part because those centers must put social distancing guidelines in place.

MORE ONLINE Find all our Nurses’ Week stories: www.GoErie.com/ Topics/Nurses-Week-2020

The Department of State has also announced in March that: • Temporary nursing practice permits and graduate permits will be extended beyond one year and extension fees will be waived.

• Registered nurses will not have to apply for extensions of their R.N. graduate or temporary permits, and all temporary and graduate permits that would normally expire during the next 90 days will be automatically extended for an additional 90 days.

• Practical nurses will not have to apply for extensions of graduate or temporary permits, and all temporary and graduate permits that would normally expire during the next 90 days will be automatically extended for an additional 90 days.

• Registered Nurses, Certified Registered Nurse Practitioners and Certified Nurse Specialists can continue to care for patients if their licenses are “in renewal” and set to expire on April 30. These licenses will be extended for an additional three months until July 31.

Wright is grateful for her nursing career, and she looks forward to a long career as a registered nurse.

“I like direct patient care,” Wright said.

“Everyone works hard to take care of patients in the best way possible. ” Contact Kevin Flowers at kflowers@timesnews. com. Follow him on Twitter at @ETNflowers

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Students provide foot care for homeless

By Brianna Mariotti Gannon University

It takes a special kind of person to care for the health of another’s feet. But at Gannon University, nursing students are responding to the need to nourish feet back to health among Erie’s homeless population.

“It’s a little about pampering, but also about putting yourself lower than they are,” said Lisabeth Searing, assistant professor of nursing at Gannon. Searing said physically kneeling to care for another’s feet is an expression of humility that can encourage meaningful

Gannon nursing students, from left, Nikki Borst, Allison Crosby and Suzanne Disanza assist homeless Erie residents with foot care. [CONTRIBUTED PHOTO]

relationships.

Foot-care services are offered through the Healthcare for the Homeless Partnership,

a program sponsored by the Erie United Methodist Alliance.

The program centers on collaboration with

community providers to offer integrated healthcare and social services to individuals who are homeless or

affected by poverty.

Students first participated last year as part of their community health clinicals taught by Searing and Lisa Quinn, associate professor of nursing. The experience created a lasting impression for students, and the program was eagerly embraced into the curriculum for a second year as well.

Every Monday evening before COVID-19 safeguards, students welcomed homeless individuals into the Our Neighbor’s Place Overflow Shelter to receive foot-care services. The shelter is hosted among four downtown Erie churches every two weeks during the winter

on a rotating basis.

Students first soak their patients’ feet in warm water. Epsom salts help to decrease any inflammation from walking, which is the primary means of transport in the city among the homeless population. Students ask their patients a series of questions to assess their foot health and then inspect their feet for any problems as they relax.

Searing said cases can range from blisters to diabetic issues. One man, she said, had acquired a minor case of trench foot as he never had See HOMELESS, N12

Caring for a patient’s individual needs

By Theodore Martin Stroke Unit, Saint Vincent Hospital

Nursing care is quite unique and vast.

It encompasses all aspects of health, whether it is evidence-based practice skills, holistic care, empathetic communication or more.

Most importantly, nursing care is crucial to how healthcare workers address a never-ending series of health challenges.

The nursing profession is important in this role due to the amount of time the nurses spend with the patients and the hands-on care they provide. This provides great insight on how to overcome

Theodore Martin, R.N., works with stroke patients at Erie’s Saint Vincent Hospital. [CONTRIBUTED PHOTO]

health challenges as this is where a lot of those challenges are founded.

Nurses discover issues and then create solutions, when

necessary, which is why a nurse’s point of view, when addressing health issues, is crucial.

For example, I am a registered nurse on

a stroke floor at Saint Vincent Hospital. One major health concern we deal with is discharge needs for the physically impaired patient after a stroke.

Sometimes a stroke can be quite debilitating as major deficits include weakness on one side, visual, speech and many other issues. These issues can affect a patient for a good portion of his or her life unless the individual receives proper therapy.

Here at Saint Vincent, the nurses play a huge role in how the patient is discharged.

The discharge needs may include organizing of rehab services and proper equipment/ health care services

that will be needed.

We, as nurses, work hand-in-hand with the all therapists, doctors and social workers to ensure the patient is discharged as well organized as possible.

Another reason nurses play a vital role in addressing health problems is how we are able to individualize patient needs as well as maintain a focus on safety.

This has been proven to show better outcomes for the patient over a period of time as it best reflects their time frame and what they need at each moment, whether it be short or long term.

Safety is paired with individualization so that the patient is as safe as possible upon discharge

from the hospital.

For example, if a patient has a stroke and has residual left lower leg weakness, he or she will have trouble walking unassisted. This person will need either a walker or a wheeled walker, home physical therapy and occupation therapy, or a rehab center to help achieve optimal levels of movement.

All of this will include proper evaluation of what the patient understands and educating on what they do not.

To sum up, nursing care is quite multifactorial and deals with all elements of care.

Nurses are crucial with how to address health problems as their insight is truly patient- focused.

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COVID-19 concerns don’t stop LECOM Health nurse

By David Bruce

By Lynn Durst

Erie TImes-News

Nancy Guckes, R.N., has worked in Erie-area emergency rooms for more than 30 years.

Never has the LECOM Health nurse seen anything like the COVID-19 pandemic and how it has affected her fellow health-care workers.

“It’s a fear and uncertainty over the risk of infection,” said Guckes, 61. “You’re worried that you might carry it and infect your loved ones.”

That fear hasn’t stopped Guckes and her coworkers from doing their job, caring for patients being treated in Millcreek Community Hospital’s emergency department.

Those patients have included people sick with symptoms similar to COVID-19 and were awaiting test results.

“They have this look of fear on their face, of not being sure if they have COVID-19,” Guckes said.

“Unfortunately, we are wearing our personal protective equipment, so we are veiled behind a mask.

It’s hard to show empathy to a patient. All we can do is use words instead of a touch or a smile.”

Though being a nurse can be difficult during the pandemic, Guckes said it remains a job that she loves.

It’s also the only job she ever wanted.

“I was probably 13 when I first wanted to be a nurse,” Guckes said.

Cardiovasular disease management, UPMC Hamot

Being a nurse is the only job Nancy Guckes ever wanted. “I was probably 13 when I first wanted to be a nurse,” Guckes said. “The idea of making someone’s life a little better with a touch or a smile, was something I wanted to do.” [CHRISTOPHER MILLETTE/ERIE TIMES-NEWS]

“The idea of making someone’s life a little better with a touch or a smile, was something I wanted to do.”

Being an emergency department nurse when she started in the late 1980s was a lot different than it is today, Guckes said.

There is more technology being used and more work is expected from nurses.

“When I started, the expectation was that you would get to spend more time with a patient,” said Guckes, who previously worked at UPMC Hamot for 27 years before joining Millcreek Community.

“Now it seems like you are seeing more and

more patients with a smaller amount of time with each of them.”

Stress is nothing new for nurses and the added pressure of dealing with COVID-19 can feel overwhelming at times, Guckes said.

Especially when Guckes’ work isn’t finished when she leaves Millcreek Community.

She and her husband help with Guckes’ father, who is 94 and receiving hospice care at home. The possibility of spreading COVID-19 to him is a concern.

“He’s living with my mom but I’m over there every evening,” Guckes said. “A lot of people are in a similar situation, whether it’s caring

for children or older parents, and they don’t want to infect their loved ones. I know of a nurse who bought an RV so they wouldn’t spread the virus to the family.”

When Guckes feels stressed, she does what nurses have done for generations: Rely on each other.

“I lean on my coworkers a lot,” Guckes said.

“They are going through the same things I am.

We are family, whether it’s those of us in the hospital, across the community or even statewide.”

Contact David Bruce at dbruce@timesnews. com. Follow him on Twitter @ETNBruce.

Therapy dog supports Gannon students Brianna Mariotti Gannon University

Therapy animals are becoming increasingly recognized by medical science for the benefits they provide – and some Gannon University nursing students need only step into their classroom to agree.

For three semesters, Charlotte Riddle, D.N.P., has taught a senior-level nursing class that often involves heavy discussion around mental health disorders.

She brings her therapy dog, an English cream golden retriever named Jake, to classes on these days to offer support to her students.

“Having a therapy dog in the room is an alternative way of managing and dealing with stress,” Riddle said. “These students are walking into a course that covers topics like mental illness, substance abuse, suicide, depression and sexual assault, and they have to finish the course to graduate.”

For some students, these discussions can invoke emotions from personal experiences.

Sara Gillespie, a senior nursing student in Riddle’s class, said Jake’s presence is a comfort when discussing heavier topics.

“Jake can tell when the class is getting somber,” Gillespie said. “He will walk around to everyone and allow us to pet him. Being able to pet Jake makes everything OK no matter how hard the subject.” Gillespie

Nurse advocates for diabetes patients

Jake, a therapy dog, often visited Charlotte Riddle’s seniorlevel nursing class at Gannon University. [CONTRIBUTED PHOTO]

added that Jake was also helpful on testing days by calming the nerves in the room.

For senior Katie Thompson, Jake is a reminder of her own English cream golden at home. Thompson said she doesn’t get to visit often, so having a “Jake fix” is a bright spot in her week.

Riddle said having a dog in the classroom helps to buffer some of the stress students go through in a week that could affect their learning outcomes as future nurses. “For every student who sits in a classroom, we only know

a piece of their story,” she said. “Jake opens the door to conversations that might otherwise not take place.”

The CDC outlines many health benefits of a dog including decreased blood pressure, cholesterol levels, triglyceride levels, as well as an ability to manage loneliness, depression and stress.

Many students on Gannon’s campus have attested to these health benefits, thanks to Riddle and her dog. The pair frequently attend campus events including a pancake breakfast before finals week and Send Silence Packing, a

public education exhibit to raise awareness of mental health and suicide on campuses.

Riddle said bringing a therapy dog into the classroom also gives students a unique perspective on how nurses can take a more holistic approach to promoting well-being among patients.

“Preparing future nurses with knowledge about mental health helps us provide the best care possible to our future patients,” Thompson said.

Riddle recalls one particular moment that has remained for her a testimony of Jake’s impactful work. She was teaching an especially heavy topic, and Jake was laying in front of the class as he often did.

“Fifteen minutes into this class,” Riddle said, “Jake stood up, walked to the very back of the classroom, wrapped himself around the chair of a student, and didn’t move the rest of the three-hour class. When class ended, the student walked him back up to the front and asked a single question: ‘How did he know?’”

Riddle said she left the room ingrained with a message of hope: “There is something that helps for whatever you need to get through in life. We all experience things that we need to work very hard to overcome. If it’s just Jake’s presence that a student needs to overcome something and be able to achieve goals and dreams, that’s what’s important,” she said.

When it comes to compassion and kindness, clinical excellence and innovation, independence and motivation, Mary Yochim, R.N., certified health coach, comes to mind. Yochim has practiced as a registered nurse for more than 20 years and as a respiratory therapist for 17 years at UPMC Hamot.

Yochim has long been an advocate for patients receiving education on managing their diabetes to help reduce complications and clinically lowering theirhemoglobin (Hgb)A1c levels, the average level of blood sugar.

Diabetes became a part of Mary Yochim’s every waking moment when her daughter, Katie Yochim, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in 1992 at the age of 7.

“I am very personally invested in diabetes management and education,” Mary Yochim said. “I remember being scared and overwhelmed when Katie was diagnosed. I remember people scolding me when something went wrong. I remember not understanding some of the information I was given.”

She understands the ups and downs of diabetes, how the numbers don’t always cooperate and how important it is to have an advocate. She was one of the lucky ones, though, who had family support and the support of her endocrinologist.

Mary Yochim’s education consisted of completing an accelerated BSN program and working on a medical surgical floor until a local diabetes job opened. She obtained the required diabetes continuing education units and sat for the certified diabetes educator exam. But Yochim didn’t stop there.

She also obtained a Master of Science degree in Health Education and Wellness.

Yochim was selected

by UPMC Hamot to start a diabetes health coaching program to provide face-to-face and telehealth education and support to patients willing and wanting to make changes in their health to be more active, make healthier food choices and lower their Hgb A1cs all at the same time.

A small committee was formed, with Yochim as the lead in nursing care, to plan how to start the program.

Her experience as a certified diabetes educator helped her decide what information to include and where to start with the program. A primary-care practice was chosen as the pilot site, and an open house was held to welcome patients of the practice to the program and to explain what the program would help them to achieve.

Letters were mailed to patients who had a Hgb A1c level of 9 percent or higher. (The Hgb A1c level is a blood test indicating a three-month average of an individual’s plasma glucose concentration.) Nine percent or greater indicates a higher-than-normal blood-sugar level, putting individuals at higher risk from complications.

Participation in the pilot program was voluntary, as the basis of health coaching is allowing patients to decide their own health See DIABETES, N12

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In celebration of nurses

By Susan Maloney

Assistant professor, Edinboro University of Pennsylvania

The timing is upon us to reflect on the critical roles that nurses perform for their patients and the community — education and disease prevention.

In light of the recent COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting closings, bans and cancellations, and the need for statistically accurate health updates, it is never more imperative for nurses to remain on the front lines of health care to educate patients, families and communities about reducing global disease risks.

These health issues can best be addressed by utilizing the care, advocacy, assessment, treatment, evaluation and expertise that nurses have always brought to all public health issues.

Whether nurses are deployed to serve the U.S. Armed Forces, Red Cross or community-based care clinics, nurses bring daily information to the public so that they can feel safe and take ownership in their own health.

This is through basic hygiene care, nutrition, sleep and disease

Susan Maloney of Edinboro University of Pennsylvania’s nursing department earned a citation in 2018 from the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office for her work combating the opioid epidemic. [CONTRIBUTED PHOTO]

risk reduction education to our patients across the globe.

I am proud to be both an educator and clinician in the roles I serve as a faculty member of Edinboro University’s Nursing Department and as a clinician in various clinical roles that allow me the privilege to assess, diagnose, treat and evaluate the health

of our community right here in Erie and Crawford counties.

The American Academy of Nurses acknowledges the importance of nurse leaders to respond in interdisciplinary ways across all health sectors, and we at Edinboro University are aligned to do just that.

Student nurses in our nursing department

participate in simulations that address community and critical care scenarios on best practices in responding to health issues. Edinboro nursing students have simulated homelessness sessions to address the needs of individuals in our very own community and the potential health and disease risks.

Edinboro’s

nursing faculty has also responded by meeting the education needs of our students and community by having an action plan to address these needs. We also continue to show up to care for our patients in every healthcare setting that is needed, for this is what nurses do.

Nurses in health systems across the globe are well-positioned

to provide the most critical of health needs at this time: education, leadership and empathy to address what our most vulnerable citizens need during health crises.

I am proud to be a nurse today during a global health pandemic, and when focusing on optimizing our health in small and large ways each day.

Nurses serve as advocates for patients

Lori Moore Filson, R.N., writes that one of the most important tools a nurse has is a voice to advocate for patients. [CONTRIBUTED PHOTO]

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someone’s life.

My voice is, of course, vital when caring for my patients, but I also use my voice to encourage and inspire the next generation of nurses. I try my best to help them find their voice, as they are the future of nursing.

And after all, they will be the ones taking care of us!

I have developed my voice into one that I use to comfort, educate, advocate and empower.

My hope is that I always lead by example and continue to speak highly of my profession, even as I am forced to navigate the challenges of the healthcare system.

As in the early days of my career, I will continue to observe, learn, evaluate and strive to be the best nurse I can be.

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have come and gone, policies and procedures have evolved,

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ever-changing. I have navigated so many changes. Coworkers

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way I perform my job and the environment I work in is

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I have been a nurse for almost 40 years.

It’s a career that I have never once doubted nor regretted.

Sometimes it feels like yesterday that I was a new graduate nurse, taking it all in, listening to what other nurses said, observing what they did.

My early years of nursing revolved around learning, absorbing, growing, and grooming myself into the nurse I wanted to be — a good nurse, a great nurse, clinically confident, reliable, compassionate and respected by my peers.

I have learned over the years that, although my goals as a nurse remain the same, the

management has shifted, and there have been a number of changes to the caredelivery system and patient care.

Some changes are so subtle, they actually almost go unnoticed, while others are so impactful, they can create excitement, anxiety, or challenges.

Through these changes, I have realized the most impactful tool we have as nurses are our voices.

Every voice matters, whether it is a soft whisper or a loud roar.

I speak softly to convey empathy, care and concern. I speak intensely to convey importance and necessity, and to advocate for my patients.

Often I have to speak words that can change the trajectory of

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By Lori Moore Filson Saint Vincent Hospital

Erie Times-News | GoErie.com |

Friday, May 1, 2020

N11

Not your typical nursing student

By Kristin Bowers Penn State Behrend

When Abraham Berhane began his studies as a prenursing student at Penn State Behrend in fall 2014, he wasn’t a typical freshman.

He was married with two children, one of whom had been born just weeks earlier. He was 31 years old.

And he had only lived in the United States since 2013.

“When I started, it wasn’t easy,” said Berhane, who was born in Eritrea, in northeast Africa. He and his wife had to juggle child care along with his studies and his wife’s second-shift employment, which was supporting the family.

He worked with his academic advisers at Behrend to schedule classes around his family obligations, and he spent weekends in the library completing his assignments.

Fast-forward to today, and Berhane is a cardiac nurse at Saint Vincent Hospital, having earned his Bachelor of Science in nursing from Behrend in 2018.

It’s a long way from where he was seven

Abraham Berhane was a married father when he began his nursing studies at Penn State Behrend. [CONTRIBUTED PHOTO]

years ago, when his family arrived in Erie.

They had spent the previous five years in a refugee camp in Ethiopia after fleeing their home in Eritrea.

“Eritrea is not good for young people,” Berhane said. “Economically, politically, Eritrea wasn’t really a place

where we could work and see our future. … That’s the reason most people leave and the reason we left.”

The refugee camp in Ethiopia was “not a good place to be,” Berhane said, but was a means to an end — a stop on the family’s ultimate journey to

resettlement in Erie.

“When we came to Erie, we just started our life from zero,” he said.

Rather than focus on what they didn’t have, Berhane and his family viewed their situation as a matter of what they did have: The opportunity to start over — which led him to pursue

his nursing degree.

Berhane had graduated from high school in Eritrea but never had the opportunity to pursue higher education. He had a few jobs when he first came to Erie, working at Walmart and later as a nurse’s aide, which helped shape his career.

“I started talking to people, and I started providing direct patient care,” he said. “That opened the door, and I wanted to do nursing.”

Now, as a full-time nurse, he finds satisfaction not just in his chosen vocation, but in the care that he provides to his patients.

“When you are sick, it is not the best moment for you.

You’re in the hospital, dealing with a lot of things,” he said. “As a nurse, when you meet people at that point, they’re vulnerable and need your help. I think one of the things you can do is help them and make a difference in their lives.”

Beyond providing personal fulfillment, nursing is also the culmination of Berhane’s refugee journey: It provides work of his choosing and a bright future for his family — both things that were missing for him in Eritrea, and both opportunities that he found here in Erie.

“I had the chance to do it, so why not use the chance and be what you can be,” he said. “It is something that anyone can do, that’s what I believe.”

Area nurse shares a day in her life

By Yolanda Jefferson Certified Wound Care Nurse, Saint Mary’s at Asbury Ridge

It is 7 a.m. and my shift is about to begin. As I enter the doors of Saint Mary’s at Asbury Ridge, it feels like home. Why? Because our residents are like family and they invite me into their home every day.

I know it will be a full and busy day, but I also know when I exit those same doors I will have made a difference and made someone’s day a little brighter.

As I approach the nursing station, I notice one resident in her wheelchair with a big wave and smile. She is unable to speak but she lets me know she is happy to see me and reaches for my hand.

We give each other a high-five and she heads to breakfast. Then I see David, with his fancy socks. I know I need to comment on those socks or he will keep after me until I do. I show him my own funky socks and

Yolanda Jefferson cares for residents at Saint Mary’s at Asbury Ridge.

[CONTRIBUTED PHOTO]

we share a laugh. And here comes Bill with the joke of the day.

As I settle in at my desk, I receive a phone call from a family member who wants to have a heart-to-heart about their declining parent.

A nurse approaches me asking me to look at a wound she is concerned about. An aide asks me to help her transfer a resident who is having some difficulty. A call bell goes off and I answer — a resident just wants a cup of coffee with two

creams. I quickly grab the coffee knowing this small task will mean a lot to the resident.

I return to my desk to consult with the therapy team and begin working on restorative programs. I know these programs increase the quality of life for our residents. It is such a good feeling to see them participating in these programs and making progress. Before I know it, I’m having a quick bite for lunch and then back to the unit. I check in on the dining room to see if any residents are in need of some help or cheering up.

I see a resident who enjoys sitting alone, but also enjoys when staff sits with him. I sit down and we share a short conversation.

I see his face change from sad and lonely to a big smile as I joke with him about our everchanging weather.

As I am heading out of the dining room, a resident asks, “Where is my song?” Of course, I must give her one verse of the song of the day.

She enjoys when I act a little silly and even show off a few dance moves.

As 3 p.m. approaches, I check on my residents one last time and say my goodbyes for the

day. I head for the door and hear a small voice saying, “Don’t forget about me.” It’s a resident who has been out at dialysis all day, and she needs her hug and

a cranberry spritzer. I leave for the day with a feeling of happiness because, no matter what the rest of the day holds, I know without a doubt I made someone smile.

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Friday, May 1, 2020

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UPMC From Page N1

“I’m only 22 and I have no kids,” said Mackenzie Troyan, who is engaged. “We have a lot of nurses who are pregnant or have young families. It just made sense.”

Hamot and other Erie County hospitals have been fortunate to have relatively few COVID19 patients during the first six weeks of the pandemic.

Each time Mackenzie Troyan walks into a COVID-19 patient’s room, she must suit up in full personal protective equipment to reduce her chances of getting infected.

“We wear an N95 mask, a face shield, gloves and a gown when we go in,” Mackenzie Troyan said. “And you just have to be especially conscious about what you come into contact with while you are in there.”

The Troyans lean on each other to deal with the pandemic and the other, more routine, stresses of being a nurse.

It’s not unusual for Mackenzie Troyan to text her sister late at

Erie Times-News | GoErie.com

night when she’s working. But Taylor Troyan said her little sister has been going a great job.

“To see how she has grown as a nurse in just 10 months has been great,” said Taylor Troyan, who has been a nurse for five years.

The two sisters come from a nursing family, though neither of their parents are nurses.

They remember playing nurse as children, much to the delight of their grandmother.

“I enjoy being able to help people, especially at the worst times of their lives,” Mackenzie Troyan said. “To be able to comfort them, and their families, is important to me.”

Taylor Troyan is taking classes to become a nurse practitioner, though the pandemic has delayed her graduation.

She wants to continue working at Hamot with its critical-care team.

Becoming a nurse practitioner also sounds good to her little sister.

“Definitely in the future. I can’t do anything Taylor doesn’t do,” Mackenzie Troyan said with a laugh.

ABOVE: Shown on April 15, sisters Taylor Troyan, left, and Mackenzie Troyan, right, are registered nurses at UPMC Hamot and work together in a unit that treats patients with COVID-19. [JACK HANRAHAN/ERIE TIMES-NEWS]

LEFT: Taylor Troyan, left, and her sister, Mackenzie, pose for a photo as a nurse and patient when they were children about 20 years ago. The two women now work as nurses at UPMC Hamot. [CONTRIBUTED PHOTO]

MORE ONLINE Find all our Nurses’ Week stories: www.

GoErie.com/Topics/Nurses-Week-2020

Contact David Bruce at dbruce@timesnews. com. Follow him on Twitter @ETNBruce.

DIABETES

HOMELESS

From Page N6

pathway and whether they are ready to make changes or not.

Yochim found herself in a new office with new coworkers and a new work environment. In the fall of 2017, she started with a population of 12 patients and worked with each one according to his and her individual needs.

She would see some of them during office visit, but most she called on the phone.

In three to six months, she acquired more patients and lost a few. (Some moved away from the practice and others were not ready to make the change.) With most, Yochim forged close relationships.

“Mary has a way of making everyone feel at ease,” said Lynn Durst, cardiovascular disease manager, UPMC Hamot. “You become her close friend as you feel yourself sharing family stories and sharing

Mary Yochim, left, learned all about diabetes and how to treat patients when her daughter, Katie Yochim, right, was diagnosed in 1992 at age 7. [CONTRIBUTED PHOTO]

family recipes that have been handed down from relatives.”

Today, Yochim has approximately 220 patients in the diabetes program. She continues to see patients in the office or separately. Yochim often calls patients between appointments just to see how they are getting along.

“I have learned to meet people where they are and how to look for barriers or problems,” Yochim said. “I try to explain

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things so that people can understand what diabetes is and how important it is to manage this. Every day I see the lack of knowledge about diabetes. There are so many misconceptions about diabetes and so much of the diabetes information is misunderstood or misinterpreted.”

Yochim said it is critical for patients to get the right information for their specific needs. “Each and every person is an

individual,” she said.

Today, three more certified diabetes educators have joined Yochim’s initiative working in other UPMC physician offices to partner with patients in an effort to improve their health and lower their risk for complications from their diabetes.

She still talks with those original 12 patients today. “I will always be my daughter’s advocate, just as I am an advocate for all of my patients.”

shelter, students can see how they actually live. This helps with understanding From Page N3 treatment for these patients,” she said. to dry his damp feet Student participant in the winter.

Amanda Sivillo agrees.

And then there is “I gained a wonderthe story of a man who ful perspective of the stands on his feet for difference in lifestyle six days a week at an and some of the chalappliance repair store. lenges faced,” she said.

“He came in the Lauren Miller also other day and had a attended the foot clinic callous that was so and said she was more bad his skin cracked, than happy to be part revealing raw skin,” of the day.

“They told Searing said. Stume about their stories dents were able to — how they became treat the condition by homeless and how they providing cushioned plan on getting back on inserts for his shoes.

Some cases cannot be their feet,” she said. “It treated at the shelter, was very empowering.” and Gannon faculty Both Searing and and students must refer Quinn envision the patients to a podiatrist. program continuing But Searing said the long term. “We have initial interactions with found it to be a really these homeless individ- good experience for the uals at the shelter helps students, an experibuild trust of the healthence that really meets care system before our mission of Ganthey visit a hospital. non,” Quinn said.

Quinn said students “In two years, also return from the the overwhelming shelter with new perresponse from stuspective on patient dents has been so health care. “Patients positive that I would in a hospital setting not want to stop,” may tell students how they live. But at the Searing added.

Erie Times-News | GoErie.com |

Friday, May 1, 2020

N13

Student earns multiple degrees

By Michelle “Elle” Simpson Mercyhurst North East

I grew up in Jamaica and one day a good Samaritan offered to pay for SAT classes for me because my family did not have the financial resources to afford me that opportunity. That was the beginning of a transformative experience through which I earned a scholarship to Mercyhurst University, a bachelor’s degree in sports medicine in 2010, a master’s degree in organizational leadership and, ultimately, a position as director of

student life at Mercyhurst North East in 2014.

In my current position, I work closely with students as the adviser for student government, and also the supervisor of the residence assistants team. Above all, my role is to encourage campus engagement.

Over the years, I have seen many students go on to lead very happy and successful lives, and I am always proud to know that I may have had a small role in their achievements.

As part of my job, I am often asked to write letters of recommendation for students;

many were in the nursing field and I typically followed up with them years later to see how they were doing. In most cases they were living in places I could only dream of, and leading lives I could only imagine.

My current working role is very meaningful to me; however, after seeing former students go on to enjoy rewarding careers by helping people lead healthy lives or helping people through sickness and disabilities, I began having this sense that maybe a career in health care

could be for me.

For two years, I debated if this was the right move. Then I simply took the plunge, and enrolled in the ASN program at Mercyhurst North East, while concurrently taking BSN classes at the Mercyhurst Erie campus.

In the four semesters of my nursing school career thus far, I have learned so much about the profession and the people who make it fulfilling. I am motivated every day to be the best nurse I can be because of those who have gone before me and the good work I

know we can do as a profession.

My goal is to become a certificated nurse anesthetist, which likely will require a six-year commitment, given all the requirements for acceptance to a CRNA program and its completion.

Still, I have not felt this much hope for my life since back in my college days when it seemed like I had endless opportunities.

I was lucky to find a job I loved at a very early age and, because of that, there was not much need to hope for better, and no need to be ready or excited

for change.However, I am excited because I have embarked on a journey in a career field where once again the world is my oyster.

From being a traveling nurse to a surgical nurse, the opportunities are plenty and rewards are even better. What better reward is there than knowing that you helped save or improve someone’s life?

For now, my motto is "students first" and that will be the case until the time comes when my motto transitions to "patients first."

Millcreek hospital’s nurses served country, now community

By Sheena Baker LECOM Health

U.S. Navy Lt. Cmdr.

Karen Nihill knows that nursing requires a special aptitude that not everyone possesses.

“If you have that spirit and that love for humanity, you’ll do it well and you’ll help people. There’s nothing like it in the world, but not everyone is made that way,” Nihill said. “You’ll help people until you’re exhausted and then you’ll come back and do it again the next day.”

The same can be said of the men and women of the U.S. military, who, like medical professionals, selflessly devote themselves to a greater good.

For a special group of

individuals at LECOM Health’s Millcreek Community Hospital, this call to service has taken them from serving their country in the armed services to serving their community in another way.

Nihill, the MCH’s nursing in-service director, is one of six veterans who found a second career as a nurse at the hospital. She is also among nearly 70 veterans currently employed within the LECOM Health system or at the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine Erie campus.

Both nursing and military service came naturally to Nihill. The latter, however, had origins in tragedy.

Nihill’s fiance was killed during the Vietnam War just two weeks before their

wedding. That loss compelled her to do her part to help heal the wounded, leading her to the Navy.

After nine years of service in a variety of roles as a commissioned officer, Nihill resumed civilian life, eventually returning to her hometown of Erie, where she has worked as a registered nurse at MCH for nearly 30 years.

U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Stacy Cutshaw’s introduction to medicine had a different catalyst. Two years into her service with the Marine Corps, an obstacle course mishap sidelined the Marietta, Ohio, native with a broken wrist and two broken vertebrae.

During her convalescence, something clicked

and Cutshaw knew she wanted a future in health care. That path, however, wasn’t straight. After 14 years and a few detours, Cutshaw finally enrolled in nursing school in 2009.

Her military service helped her land her first position in critical care, “a very intimidating way to start your nursing career,” she admitted.

For the past five years, Cutshaw has been with MCH, currently working as a registered nurse supervisor.

U.S. Army Sgt. Daniel Fairfield of Erie was drawn to the Army’s educational and financial benefits.

He enlisted in 1991 and took advantage of training opportunities as an active duty soldier, becoming a

licensed practical nurse and serving as a member of his unit’s mobile army surgical hospital. After his discharge, Fairfield earned his Bachelor of Science in nursing thanks to the G.I. Bill.

“My time in the Army provided me with the confidence and discipline needed to become a registered nurse,” said Fairfield, who now works in the intensive care unit at MCH. Cutshaw agreed that military training builds transferable skills useful in nursing.

“The Marines taught me respect, dignity, integrity, loyalty and how to adapt and overcome obstacles.

All these things carry over into the medical field,” she said.

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