A6 Wednesday, May 6, 2020
Echo Press
Nurse learns something new every minute SHE ENJOYS CONNECTING WITH PEOPLE
By Celeste Edenloff cedenloff@echopress.com
G
rowing up, Lindsay Rourke-Nelson knew she wanted to become a nurse. Even though she didn’t have a strong connection to nursing - a grandma she never met was an Army nurse - she just never thought she’d do anything else. Rourke-Nelson loves taking care of people and believes what she does every day, whether it’s talking with other nurses, working with physicians, educating and taking care of patients, she can see and feel the impact.
Currently, she is the director of primary care at Alexandria Clinic, a service of Alomere Health. She has worked at the Alomere Health facility for more than seven years. Previously, she worked at Knute Nelson in Alexandria and before that, a couple medical facilities in the Twin Cities metro area. Originally from Maple Grove, she now lives in Glenwood. When Rourke-Nelson started her nursing career, she began as a certified nursing assistant. She then moved to being a certified medical assistant before becoming a licensed practical nurse and then finally, becoming a registered nurse. “Working with patients, other nurses, physicians and providers, I feel like I learn something new every single minute,” said Rourke-Nelson. “That’s what drives me. I enjoy it. It is my passion. I really enjoy
Lindsay Rourke-Nelson that connection with people, too.” For those who are thinking of going into nursing, RourkeNelson shared some advice. She said nursing isn’t about the person, but it’s about being flexible, adaptable and willing to change and not letting it phase you. “Change is inevitable and you have to be OK with that,” she said. She said you have to be able to work with a wide variety of people, have a strong listening ear, have true compassion and be willing to put a smile on your face no matter the circumstances. Rourke-Nelson went to the Alexandria Technical
and Community College, which she described as “phenomenal.” She said she really felt prepared when she was done and would highly recommend the college to potential nursing students. The work done by a nurse, whether it is a chemo treatment, injections, wound care and more, can be intense and stressful, and challenging at times, she said. At the same time, she also said caring for others and providing those services is highly rewarding. She enjoys every aspect of her nursing career and said she gets to work with the best team ever.
Cheers & Thank You WE ARE SO GREATFUL FOR the hard working men & women in the health care field.
BE WELL. BE SAFE. WE APPRECIATE YOU.
Our Nurses help make all the difference in providing personalized care to our residents.
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NURSES WEEK! knutenelson.org
Wednesday, May 6, 2020 A7
Echo Press
NATIONAL NURSES WEEK
Thank you nurses
Appendix surgery leads to nursing career SHE LIKES BEING AN ADVOCATE FOR PATIENTS
By Celeste Edenloff cedenloff@echopress.com When Beverly Paul was just 7 years old, she had her appendix removed. After that, she had always said she wanted to become a nurse. Growing up as a farm girl, she said there weren’t a lot of professions for women back in the day. Nursing is what she was drawn to and she knew that is what she wanted to do. And she did and has been doing so since 1976. For the past 28 years of her 44-year career, Paul has worked at Sanford Broadway Medical Center. Prior to that, she worked at Alomere Health, which was known at the time as Douglas County Hospital.
Paul, a registered nurse, has her bachelor of science in nursing and is also a certified wound and ostomy care nurse. She also teaches diabetic education at Sanford. During the more than 40 years she has been a nurse, Paul has seen many changes, including using metal syringes and mixing medications and their own solutions to paper charting and not having as many nursing opportunities as there are now. When Paul first started out in her career, nurses mostly worked in clinics, hospitals and schools. Nowadays, there are nurses in public health, private sector businesses, senior living facilities and more. “There are so many more opportunities nowadays,” said Paul, adding that there are so many shifts to work as well. There are day, evening, night
and weekend shifts available, allowing for flexibility. Other changes include the amount of time patients spend in hospital following a surgery. These days, someone having a knee surgery could be released the next day or even the same day. Previously, patients could spend several days in the hospital, which Paul said allowed nurses to build relationships with them. Over the years, the relationships she has built as a nurse is something she will always hold near and dear to her heart. Being a nurse for Paul is all about the patient and caring for them in the best way possible. She recalled numerous times while being out in the public whether shopping or out to eat and running into people that she has cared for. “People have come up to
me and talked about the time I took care of them or their loved one and some have been from 30 years ago,” she said. Paul shared the story of a man who had been in the hospital for a procedure and as his nurse, she asked if there was anything she could do. He asked her if she could clean his ears and so she did. A year and a half after that day, he saw her out and about and thanked her again for doing that. “He remembered me and he was so appreciative a year and a half later,” she said. “Whatever you can do to make it better for your patients, that’s what nursing is about. Always being that advocate for the patient is so important.” With people spending less and less time in the hospital and with the ad-
Beverly Paul vent of e-visits and virtual visits, Paul said there isn’t as much time to develop those relationships, which is something she misses. “To be able to be involved in the care of a patient and for family members to put their trust in me to take care of their loved ones, I feel so privileged to be able to do what I do,” said Paul.
We want to thank you for your time and commitment! We appreciate all your hardwork and dedication! Thank you, Nurses! 1201 Ridgeview Terrace NE, Alexandria, Minnesota 56308 | Phone: 320-219-6633 | Fax: 320-219-6634 | www.woodcrestassistedliving.net | kayla@woodcrestassistedliving.net
A HUGE THANK YOU TO ALL OF OUR NURSES FOR THE CARE, COMPASSION AND DEDICATION THEY SHOW TO OUR RESIDENTS EACH AND EVERY DAY. WE TRULY APPRECIATE YOU!
We are so grateful for all the hard work our nurses are doing for us everyday! We Thank You!
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nights and the weekends. For the lives you touch and joy
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professionalism, your integrity, and your resilience. For the you bring. For your commitment to putting our residents’ health and well-being at the forefront – not only during these unprecedented times, but always.
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