Compassion, understanding are critical to career

By Nicole Ohmer, Great Lakes Institute of Technology

I started my nursing career as a Certi ed Nursing Assistant. I worked at Edinboro University helping students with disabilities and working privately for disabled adults for many years. I became a registered nurse in 2012 and worked at a skilled nursing facility for ve years. A er that, I transitioned to the Medical ICU at UPMC Hamot, where I have been for the past ve years.

I have cared for many COVID-19 patients in the Medical ICU. During this time, I have endured several challenges.

For instance, I’ve held countless tablets and mobile devices up for dying patients, so that their family members could say goodbye.

My sadness came as I watched my father-in-law pass away from COVID-19 in my unit. Being both a nurse and a family member of someone lost to COVID gave me a greater understanding and compassion for those enduring the same situation.

Despite the many viewpoints and opinions people have regarding the virus and the vaccines, I have always cared for my patients in the same way that I would care for my own family.

There have been a few cases of COVID where someone has been successfully discharged without any residual e ects. But unfortunately, there have been more sad times than happy.

I became burnt out quickly while working during the pandemic, so in 2021, I decided to continue my education and change my focus entirely to become a

Family Nurse Practitioner. I will be graduating in March of 2023.

I joined Great Lakes Institute of Technology in January to teach and tutor students in the Practical Nursing program. It is incredible how much you can continue to understand the material you are teaching and to better explain things. I try to teach through the stories that I have lived. Students can easily remember speci c topics if I link them with a speci c story. I nd the workload challenging yet rewarding, and I am happy to work at both the bedside and to teach future nurses.