Stories of Florence Nightingale’s compassion, bravery, and leadership have shaped modern nursing and influenced and inspired millions. As we celebrate the 200th anniversary of her birth, we are honored to shine a light on today’s #NurseHeroes on the front lines by sharing some of their stories.
This is Tony’s story.
“Tony stepped up to VOLUNTEER his time to the hospital and our Hospital Incident Command team.”
Describe why you chose to become a nurse
I became a nurse for a very simple reason. I have an extensive family history of medical personnel. It has developed to something much deeper than that over the last 29 years.
Describe your most rewarding day on the job
Every day has its rewards; you just have to be aware of and looking for them. The honor of caring for people and their families truly is amazing.
Describe your most challenging day on job
The loss of a patient has to be the most challenging part of the job. It happens to everyone at some time, but the flood of emotions in a given situation can be overwhelming.
Do you have any nurse hacks or lessons learned in the field you would like to share with others?
Preparation is key! Situations in critical care can change in an instant. It’s worth the time on the front end to save a huge amount of time on the back end.
What’s a favorite quote of yours?
I do a lot of teaching and orientation. I truly believe you can’t care for people without caring about them. It takes a willingness to make that personal investment because it opens yourself to becoming emotionally invested.
Anything else you’d like to share?
Nursing has been an amazing ride for me. Something I truly didn’t anticipate 29 years ago. You can do so many things and never leave the field. I have been in cath lab staff and management, flight nursing, cardiac device specialty clinic, and critical care. My wife has been a nurse for 34 years, so service work is truly a family affair. All of our children so far have gone into service related fields such as teaching, social work, and nursing school, and the youngest is planning on law enforcement.
Thank you for all you do, Tony!
Tony’s Nomination
Tony stepped up to VOLUNTEER his time to the hospital and our Hospital Incident Command team. He offered his experience, knowledge, and time to myself and that team in preparing for a COVID surge. He offered ideas from staffing to equipment and supply needs, prep of a “COVID-GO” bag (including all the equipment needed to quickly intubate and care for a critically ill COVID patient), and ideas towards best patient care models.
Thank you for helping us honor Tony and the profession of nursing, Michele. We salute you!
Do you have a story to share?
While our team at ShiftWizard believes all nurses are heroes, we’d like to hear who you feel has gone above and beyond. Help us honor a fellow nurse or nurse leader whose actions have inspired others in these unprecedented times, and let’s celebrate nursing together!
Did you know that ShiftWizard significantly lowers staffing costs for healthcare organizations?
These are incredibly challenging times for nurses as well as the organizations they serve, and there’s no better time to learn how ShiftWizard can deliver significant cost savings, best prepare your team for success, and be a dependable partner in times of adversity.
Our industry-leading workforce management solution is quick to implement and was developed by nurses— it is built specifically for healthcare and solves the complexities of scheduling staff for any department within a hospital. And, especially for times like these, our powerful communication center excels at getting messages (text, email, and automated calls) to staff securely and quickly, maximizing accountability and teamwork.
We are honored to support our frontline teams and we are here to help you meet your challenges head on.
Send your nurse story to us at info@shiftwizard.com or let us know how we can help you.
