$3.5M to help IU med school study brain disorders - The Times of Northwest Indiana

Keeping the assemblage harmless and steadfast has been Jodi Allen’s halfway absorption since becoming a nurse.

For those who cognize her, it came arsenic nary astonishment erstwhile she was asked to service connected an important committee astatine the tallness of the coronavirus pandemic. The goal: Safely instrumentality Purdue Northwest unit and students to field during an ongoing wellness crisis.

In nursing, Allen says objective decisions are made based connected best-available evidence, but healthcare specialists lacked this accusation due to the fact that COVID-19 was a caller virus. Instead, Allen had to trust connected disposable data, her acquisition arsenic a caregiver practitioner and her tendency to support the assemblage erstwhile making recommendations to the task force.

“I utilized a batch of known accusation astir coronaviruses successful general, basal corruption control, epidemiology cognition and followed the corruption rates intimately successful our area,” Allen said. “When we were approached astir expanding vaccination rates successful the authorities of Indiana, I knew that vaccinating our field assemblage would summation the chances of keeping the PNW assemblage harmless arsenic good arsenic our surrounding community.”

She began with organizing 12 vaccine clinics astatine the extremity of the Spring 2021 semester that focused connected students, staff, module and their families. On the archetypal day, volunteers administered 800 vaccines. That fig rapidly grew, reflecting Allen’s tendency to service and assistance others.

“She is committed to the wellness of our communities, peculiarly the astir susceptible and underserved,” said Lisa Hopp, dean of the College of Nursing astatine PNW. “She demonstrates this committedness each time and particularly during the pandemic erstwhile she led and supervised 22 vaccination clinics astatine Purdue Northwest and helped springiness the 3,000 immunizations that she and different volunteers administered.”

For this and more, Allen was won the fashionable ballot successful The Times of Northwest Indiana’s Nurses: The Heart of Health Care polling.

She serves arsenic the Family Nurse Practitioner Program manager and an adjunct prof wrong the College of Nursing astatine Purdue Northwest. She is besides a household caregiver practitioner with the Community Healthcare System and Sojourner Truth House, which provides assistance for stateless and at-risk women and their children.

At Purdue Northwest, Allen helps amended hundreds of superior caregivers truthful they tin past service Northwest Indiana and beyond.

It’s a spot of a homecoming for Allen, who completed her bachelor’s and master’s degrees, arsenic good arsenic her doctorate, astatine what was past Purdue Calumet. She began her vocation astatine Community Hospital successful Munster arsenic a caregiver practitioner for 3 years, followed by 5 years with Franciscan Health. She past transitioned to full-time teaching and part-time practice.

“I person ever wanted to support radical retired of the infirmary by providing prime superior attraction and focusing connected wellness promotion and illness prevention,” Allen said. “I’ve enjoyed taking attraction of families implicit the years.”

Once she decided to prosecute her doctorate successful nursing, she knew she wanted to absorption connected susceptible and underserved populations wherever she could amended wellness equity successful the Region.

“I besides pursued my doctorate to guarantee that I was astir efficaciously capable to thatch aboriginal caregiver practitioners to beryllium safe, prudent, fantabulous NPs who tin supply attraction for and amended the wellness of our Northwest Indiana community,” she said.

In 1991, Mary Gaydos was moving successful a Lowell mill gathering windows for trailer and had nary inclination to beryllium successful the aesculapian field.

Now, Gaydos has been chosen arsenic 1 of the area's apical nurses successful the Region based connected nominations from the nationalist and a reappraisal by her peers.

After graduation from Crown Point High School, Gaydos, RN-BSN, studied accounting astatine Indiana University Northwest. She discontinue earlier getting her grade but said the grooming helped her bash the accounting for her husband's company.

While she was moving astatine the Lowell factory, her sister and parent suggested she see joining them astatine a location wellness attraction service. After moving for a portion answering phones and assigning attraction workers to conscionable patients' needs, Gaydos decided she wanted to larn astir the different extremity of the job.

"When I archetypal started successful location wellness attraction and I was conscionable answering the phones, I was funny astir what they were doing astatine those assignments," Gaydos said. "So, I began survey to beryllium a nurse, and I stuck with it. I inactive emotion the occupation today."

Indiana University Northwest accepted galore of the credits she earned arsenic an accounting student, which shortened the clip to get her bachelor's grade successful nursing. During the past 2 years of her studies, she began moving astatine St. Margaret Mercy Healthcare Centers.

She graduated from IUN successful 2004 and remained astatine the infirmary until 2009. She past taught classes successful the licensed applicable caregiver programme astatine Brown Mackie College until 2012, erstwhile she wanted to get backmost into location wellness attraction with Methodist Hospitals.

"I bash bask moving with patients, particularly 1 connected one. Now I enactment successful Methodist successful the carnal therapy department, helping patients stay mobile truthful they don't person to unrecorded successful a nursing home."

Gaydos said the problems brought connected by the COVID-19 pandemic haven't been arsenic atrocious arsenic anticipated, and her extremity has been to marque definite patients and nurses are arsenic informed arsenic imaginable astir the virus. She adjacent chose "nurseeducator" arsenic her email address.

"I archer radical the vaccines are working, and they should effort it. I've felt harmless arsenic agelong arsenic I deterioration a disguise and marque definite the patients knew what to bash to get done it. The hardest portion of wearing the disguise is you tin inactive consciousness it aft you instrumentality it disconnected astatine day's end."

The changing accusation astir the champion practices successful avoiding COVID-19 has altered her presumption of science.

"I utilized to deliberation scientists knew what to bash to support america safe, but they are not gods and the subject has not ever been kept astatine the level I trusted before."

When moving with patients with neurological issues, specified arsenic aggregate sclerosis oregon a stroke, who request a batch of attention, Gaydos said her extremity is to marque definite that the diligent believes it was a bully day.

"I didn't deliberation I could bash 12-hour shifts, but I conscionable finished 2 12-hour shifts. It ever ends up being much than 12 hours, due to the fact that determination are reports to file, and, if they request idiosyncratic for different fractional shift, I volition instrumentality it. Since COVID cipher has ever said 'You're not needed today.' "

Gaydos was nominated for the designation by adjacent person Judy Sheldon, who described her arsenic "the embodiment of the dedicated nurse, who volition leap to assistance retired successful immoderate circumstance."

"She volunteers to transportation successful connected different units erstwhile they are short-handed, adjacent changing her societal plans to travel successful and enactment a midnight shift," Sheldon said successful nominating Gaydos. "She perpetually seeks caller knowledge, enrolling successful acquisition erstwhile offered and carrying a tiny notebook to support notes to stock with colleagues.

"She's a bully parent (of 3 children) and grandma (seventh connected the way), and she deserves this."

The interaction that an outstanding caregiver tin marque has been made adjacent much evident during the past 2 years arsenic the satellite has battled the COVID pandemic. Dawn Jones, a registered caregiver successful the 5 South Medical-Surgical Unit astatine Methodist Hospital Northlake, is 1 of those health-care professionals who continues to marque a quality to her patients. 

“I was inspired to spell into nursing by my champion person and besides for idiosyncratic household reasons. My champion person and I decided to spell into nursing. We began taking prerequisites, and she discontinue during the archetypal 1 and I kept going,” Jones explained. “Also, erstwhile my grandma and stepfather became ill, I cared for them some until they passed away. I was a CNA astatine that clip and decided to prosecute nursing for them.” Her extremity arsenic a caregiver has ever been to dainty her patients the mode she would expect her loved ones to beryllium treated.

Jones earned her Associates Degree astatine South Suburban College successful South Holland and past completed her Bachelors Degree online done Chamberlain University. She is  the 5 South complaint caregiver portion carrying her ain diligent load. She’s been with Methodist Hospitals for 8 years.

“Dawn is simply a compassionate caregiver who emulates champion practices successful the transportation of diligent care. She is simply a person connected the unit, creating a supportive and collaborative environment,” said Lois Pike, adjunct manager of Nursing Operations and interim manager of the 5 South inpatient portion astatine the Northlake Campus. “She is an fantabulous relation exemplary for different nurses and pupil nurses who observe her interactions with others. She is well-respected by the physicians who entrust the attraction of their patients to Methodist Hospitals.”

That diligent enactment is what Jones loves astir astir her job. "You thin to turn a enslaved with them implicit time. The champion feeling for maine is knowing you helped idiosyncratic successful immoderate benignant of way, large oregon small. Whether the appreciation is shown oregon not, I emotion what I bash and wouldn’t commercialized being a caregiver for immoderate different vocation successful the world,” she said.

Though it’s been a trying clip for nurses, Jones inactive loves her profession. “During the pandemic, it changed wellness attraction successful a large way. The infirmary became busier, and the units stayed full. Our portion astatine 1 constituent was a COVID portion and nurses volunteered to enactment the unit. The 2nd circular of COVID was conscionable arsenic atrocious and possibly adjacent worse,” she explained. “I was 1 of the nurses who volunteered to enactment the COVID units some rounds, and it was decidedly an oculus opener for me. I watched galore travel successful perfectly good with minimum symptoms of COVID and bash a speedy 180-degree crook overnight and walk distant close earlier my eyes. It was heartbreaking but ne'er made maine springiness up nursing. It really made maine combat harder against COVID. For me, wellness attraction is harder than astir think. You spot radical come, and you spot them go. Some spell home, immoderate summation their wings. It’s a precise affectional roller-coaster thrust and 1 wouldn’t truly recognize the extent of this connection unless they experienced it hands on. For me, nursing is everything.”

“I similar to gag and accidental moving astatine a infirmary is my occupation and hospice is my hobby,” says Nicole Knight, diligent attraction manager of Traditions Health successful Crown Point. “Working successful hospice lets maine person the clip to make relationships with patients and their families arsenic good arsenic my staff.”

It’s this outlook that led Brooke Irzyk, who has worked with Knight for six years, to nominate her arsenic a nursing nonrecreational who has had an effect connected their life, the lives of loved ones, and the community. Knight has been selected arsenic a apical caregiver successful the Region by adjacent review.

“I don’t person the words to picture the affirmative interaction Nikki has had connected nurses, assorted different co-workers, patients, and families,” Irzyk wrote successful the nominating form. “Nikki has created specified a affirmative one, adjacent done COVID, which has created a full different furniture of enactment and challenges. This affirmative situation is simply a contagious 1 and has led to accrued worker satisfaction, accrued retention rates, amended attraction for patients and a health-care entity that is astir afloat staffed, which is astir unheard of these days.”

Irzyk knows the value of specified an environment. A caregiver for 10 years, she recovered herself feeling burned retired and wondering wherefore she remained a nurse  though she loved moving with patients.

“I kept proceeding from radical astir however large it was to enactment for Nikki astatine Traditions Health and however appreciated they felt,” says Irzyk, who was hired in  2020.

Initially, Knight didn’t program connected becoming a nurse.

”I wanted to beryllium a marine biologist and aquatics with dolphins,” she says.

She alternatively worked arsenic a connection therapist and did administrative enactment for section companies. But her grandmother, who was a nurse, had a large power connected her beingness and she toyed with entering the field.

“My hubby encouraged me. He was precise supportive,” she says.

Together she and her husband, William, were raising a blended household — the each had 2 children — arsenic she worked connected becoming a licensed applicable nurse, past moved connected to gain an associate's grade successful nursing.

“They accidental that you don’t person a beingness successful nursing schoolhouse and that’s not an exaggeration,” says Knight. “There are pictures of maine sleeping astatine softball practice. I didn’t adjacent recognize I was sleeping until my person posted a photograph connected Facebook.”

After earning her L.P.N., Knight worked astatine a semipermanent attraction installation and successful location wellness care.

“When I got my A.S.N., I moved into a section infirmary mounting and besides worked astatine Harbor Light Hospice and is present Traditions Health,” says Knight.

Tragedy struck erstwhile she was astir to participate her past semester of school, and her hubby was killed erstwhile the mates stopped to assistance a motorist whose car was successful a ditch.

Overwhelmed, Knight wanted to quit, but her teacher wouldn’t fto her.

Now she focuses connected helping others woody with hard situations. As manager of Clinical Services, Knight’s duties see overseeing and guiding staff, scheduling, payroll, orders and overseeing medication. She inactive finds clip to sojourn patients.

“I spell retired aft hours and bash evaluations, sojourn semipermanent attraction and assisted-living facilities and nursing homes and marque location visits,” she says. “I emotion being capable to teach, to help, empower and supply radical with the quality to competently instrumentality attraction of loved ones.”

Knight spends her escaped clip with her grown children and her 3 dogs and speechmaking successful her blistery tub.

“That’s my ‘me’ time,” she says.

"I privation to spot patients thrive. That's what keeps maine going," said Cindy Lee, a licensed applicable caregiver and portion manager astatine Valparaiso Care and Rehabilitation successful Valparaiso.

Dennis Hodges of Valparaiso, a diligent astatine Valparaiso Care and Rehabilitation Center is grateful for Lee's care. He has issues with anemic legs and backmost and Lee has helped him by encouraging him to implicit his therapy successful the past year.

"Cindy is precise attentive, caring, diligent and gracious, and she does it each with a smile — that's wherefore I nominated her," Hodges explained. "She encourages maine to bash amended than I have, and I americium doing overmuch amended now."

"With each the caregiver burnout, particularly during COVID, it's refreshing to spot a caregiver bent with her assemblage for implicit 25 years," Hodges added.

Lee's attraction and demeanor are what person made her a apical caregiver successful the Region, selected by adjacent review.

When Lee graduated precocious school, her imagination was to go a nurse, but her dada thought it would beryllium amended if she honed her typing skills. So Lee went to schoolhouse to go a typist, got joined and had kids.

But each that time, she had the tendency to go a nurse.

Her erstwhile hubby encouraged her to "go for it", and she worked arsenic a certified nursing adjunct (CNA) for six months portion large with her youngest kid (she and her hubby each had 2 children and past had 2 together). After the babe was born, Lee attended Ivy Tech successful Gary and graduated successful 1983 with her LPN.

"I 'went for it' and I endured, adjacent with six kids successful tow," said Lee, oregon Portage. "I'm blessed I did due to the fact that I emotion nursing."

After graduation, Lee worked astatine respective aesculapian facilities, including St. Mary's, and successful antithetic roles, specified arsenic same-day surgery, location wellness care. At Valparaiso Care and Rehabilitation Center, she has go a portion manager, which she says is precise uplifting.

"Now, I not lone promote patients, but I besides promote employees," Lee said.

Lee's favourite portion of nursing? She gets to cognize her patients and their loved ones, and, successful galore cases, becomes "a portion of the family," invited to peculiar occasions.

"When you go a person oregon portion of the family, past nursing is easier," noted Lee. "I tin marque everyone consciousness invited and consciousness good, and that is my goal."

What has not been casual is being a caregiver during COVID-19. Lee said it was a large alteration for her and for nursing successful general. The rehabilitation halfway was COVID-free for the archetypal six months of the pandemic, but erstwhile idiosyncratic contracted the virus, it dispersed "like wildfire," she added. The installation established a COVID unit, and Lee says her existent nursing skills came through.

"I gathered spot during the worst of COVID done the emotion I person for nursing and the attraction that I privation to springiness patients," she explained. "Being admitted to rehab and not knowing if and erstwhile they tin spell location is scary for patients and they often get discouraged. I effort to assistance them, and I dainty and respect them arsenic quality beings."

Hodges said helium looks guardant to his discharge successful the adjacent mates of months, but helium volition ne'er hide however Lee cared for him and treated him with dignity.

"I volition miss Cindy and the remainder of the fantastic staff. They've each been precise benignant to me," helium said.

Josie Moreno cannot callback a peculiar “a ha” infinitesimal erstwhile she realized she wanted to go a nurse. Even portion moving arsenic a beautician, she knew she had a higher calling that had been wrong her each along.

“As acold arsenic I tin recall, I simply ever knew that I was going to beryllium a nurse,” she says. “Nursing was not a assemblage successful my caput — it was my passion. I conscionable knew I wanted to marque an interaction and a existent quality successful peoples’ lives, particularly successful their clip of need.”

A fewer years ago, Moreno decided to prosecute that passionateness and get an acquisition successful nursing. And portion her vocation has since taken her successful respective directions, she has ever been fascinated by quality behaviour and the powerfulness of the mind, and has frankincense ever returned to her existent emotion of psychiatric nursing.

Having work extensively of the inhumane “treatments” provided to mentally sick patients passim history, arsenic good arsenic their chastisement and isolation successful society, Moreno has agelong wanted to summation consciousness of the correlation betwixt a steadfast authorities of caput and a patient’s physical, affectional and societal well-being.

“I wanted to assistance region the stigma that typically came with having a intelligence illness, particularly successful the Latin community, wherever it is often seen arsenic a taboo and a weakness,” she explains. “I privation to amended radical connected the request to admit intelligence illnesses arsenic a ‘true’ unwellness and the value of addressing and treating it arsenic such.”

In summation to the hard enactment and myriad challenges that nurses look connected daily, Moreno came into the assemblage conscionable soon earlier the onset of COVID-19. But portion the fatigue and fearfulness of the pandemic added different furniture of accent and anxiousness to beingness astatine the hospital, it besides confirmed for Moreno the inherent spot and resilience upon which her chosen assemblage has agelong been built.

“As we dilatory started adapting, the camaraderie, encouragement and enactment prevailed,” she says. “(The pandemic) showed maine yet again conscionable however amazing, relentless, resourceful and unapologetically caring nurses tin be.”

This cognition is conscionable 1 crushed that Moreno has been selected arsenic a apical caregiver successful the Region by adjacent review.

And she isn't the lone 1 who has been impressed by the spot of nurses passim the pandemic and beyond. Her work, successful fact, affects not lone her patients, but besides those closest to her.

“I’m consistently impressed by Josie’s affectional resilience, compassion, empathy and optimism,” says Moreno’s niece Elizabeth Guerrero, who nominated her for this honor. “Not lone does she attraction for patients connected the clock, but whenever idiosyncratic successful the household feels sick oregon needs aesculapian advice, she is ever determination for them. She is genuinely a blessing!”

As Moreno looks ahead, she hopes to get her psychiatric caregiver practitioner licence and proceed to dispersed intelligence wellness awareness. Because successful fulfilling what she believes she was meant to bash successful life, she has discovered a consciousness of restitution that goes acold beyond conscionable doing a job.

“I’ve already had some breathtaking and frightful moments and some joyful and sorrowful memories,” she says of her career. “Nursing has fixed maine a consciousness of accomplishment, knowledge, confidence, compassion, determination and a almighty enactment ethic. And knowing that I’ve made a quality successful people’s lives has been specified a root of joy.”

Deborah Murfitt’s passionateness for helping others started erstwhile she was a child.

“When I was young, I utilized to ticker my neighbour spell to enactment successful her achromatic azygous and cap,” she said. “And since I was successful kindergarten, I wanted to beryllium a nurse.”

After studying astatine the St. Elizabeth School of Nursing successful Lafayette and Purdue University successful West Lafayette, Murfitt has been capable to unrecorded retired her puerility dream.

“It was precise rewarding,” Murfitt said of becoming a nurse. “I person enjoyed it.”

She began her vocation arsenic a registered caregiver astir 40 years ago, spending 30 of those astatine Methodist Hospitals.

There are galore reasons Murfitt enjoys her job, but determination is 1 that stands out.

“Knowing I person the quality to assistance household and friends from a young property to erstwhile they get old,” she said.

Murfitt works successful the Labor and Delivery Unit astatine Methodist Hospitals Southlake Campus, which provides galore joyful experiences.

“It’s fantastic to beryllium capable to assistance with bringing caller beingness into the world,” she said.

But Murfitt besides is good alert that her presumption requires her to woody with unfortunate circumstances.

“That is not the champion portion of our job, but it is 1 that I americium gladsome that I tin assistance families navigate successful atrocious times and bully times,” she said.

Working arsenic a caregiver has produced galore highlights for Murfitt, truthful it’s hard to prime a favorite.

“There person been truthful galore moments that I cherish passim my career, but I cannot take 1 due to the fact that each and each time poses a caller escapade successful my career,” Murfitt said.

It’s wide galore person noticed Murfitt’s dedication to helping others and the exceptional attraction she provides.

In 2021, Murfitt received The DAISY Award, which Methodist Hospital presents to nurses for the quality they marque successful others’ lives.

Murfitt received the grant successful the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has enactment tremendous strain connected the health-care industry. Though navigating the pandemic has been challenging, it has provided lessons to those successful the aesculapian field, Murfitt said.

“I deliberation it’s made america much alert of the diseases and viruses that tin impact not lone our enactment but besides the wellness of our assemblage that we instrumentality attraction of,” she said.

The DAISY Award isn’t the lone mode Murfitt has been recognized .

Her committedness to her patients besides led to her being chosen arsenic 1 of the Region’s apical nurses by adjacent review. 

Julie Kerns, adjunct vice president of Patient Care astatine Methodist, names what sets Murfitt apart: “Her exceptional skills not conscionable arsenic a caregiver for the patients and families she serves, but besides arsenic a person and enactment idiosyncratic to her peers.” 

She cites Murfitt’s compassion, diligence, cognition and objective expertise. 

“She tin ever beryllium counted connected whether it's to supply enactment and acquisition to her peers oregon compassionate attraction to her patients,” Kerns said.

Murfitt said she’s thankful for the enactment she receives from her colleagues astatine Methodist.

“I’m precise honored that they thought the occupation that I was performing was worthy of the nomination,” she said.

In caller years, Rhagen Smith has go Rhagen O’Neill. and she has gone from being cheered to being what she calls a “cheerleader.”

O’Neill is simply a Sullivan, Ind., autochthonal and became a registered nurse. She moved to the Community Hospital Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit successful Munster successful 2020 aft getting joined and already has made an impact.

She was utilized to being successful the spotlight arsenic a Division I hoops player, arsenic the 6-foot-2 powerfulness guardant participated successful 117 games for Indiana State, scoring 604 vocation points, hauling down 166 rebounds and blocking 61 shots.

Now she has a antithetic role, redeeming lives and encouraging patients. For these efforts, she has been being chosen arsenic a apical caregiver successful the Region by by adjacent review.

“I’m similar their cheerleader, and I emotion being my patients’ cheerleader,” O’Neill said. “Sometimes, I person to footwear them successful the butt if I request to marque them amended and get them retired the door.

“We’re coaches, cheerleaders, waitresses, housekeepers … everything to our patients.”

O’Neill besides loves to spot the before/after erstwhile they get and erstwhile they leave.

“They spot maine successful 1 of the astir horrible states of their lives,” she said. “That’s a large happening that I clasp beloved and I don’t instrumentality it lightly.”

She inactive has immoderate cheerleaders of her own.

Barbara Shinovich and Cheryl Lutgen person had loved ones acquisition Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement surgery, and some came distant appreciating O’Neill’s relation successful the process.

“She is an exceptional nurse,” Shinovich said. “She is knowledgeable successful her tract and has an casual mode of conveying what she is doing and wherefore she is doing it.

“This allays the patients' fears which helps them to relax. She is highly dedicated, compassionate, personable and astatine times adjacent comic showing her consciousness of humor.”

Lutgen echoes the sentiment.

“Rhagen is the caregiver to person successful your corner,” she said. “Compassionate, knowledgeable and possessing hard-earned skills, she emphasizes comfortableness for her patients each measurement of the way. When a diligent speaks, she intently listens and troubleshoots immoderate issues immediately.

“For instance, portion recovering from his TAVR procedure, my fellow mentioned to her that helium had discovered that helium was experiencing an contented with the imaginativeness successful his near eye. After moving a fewer tests of her own, Rhagen promptly paged the surgeon to notify him of her findings. The surgeon responded to her telephone expeditiously and ran further tests.”

O’Neill said increasing up she was into mathematics and science, and nursing became an interest.

“I wanted to find thing that went on with mathematics and science, and I’m a radical idiosyncratic and nursing seemed similar the close career,” she said. “I wanted to get a grade I could usage close retired of schoolhouse and beryllium successful, and nursing was a bully tract for maine to spell into.”

Because of the demands of Division I athletics — games, practices and off-season enactment — and studying nursing, especially in the objective phase, it's uncommon to spot the 2 disciplines combined. 

“When I went for assemblage visits, a batch of Division I schools told maine I wouldn’t beryllium capable to bash the nursing programme and sports due to the fact that it’s excessively difficult,” O’Neill said. “Thankfully Indiana State allowed maine to bash both.”

Katina Rivera paused during a 12-hour displacement arsenic a registered caregiver astatine Methodist Hospitals Northlake Campus successful Gary to bespeak connected a 22-year committedness to helping others successful the Region.

Rivera has been recognized arsenic a Heart of Healthcare Nurse,  nominated by the nationalist for consistently supporting her patients and chosen by adjacent review. 

With 22 years full successful wellness attraction and 14 years arsenic a nurse, Rivera said she has recovered her calling.

“Going into this, you ne'er cognize what you're going to encounter, truthful I had to spell into this knowing that I had God down maine 100%,” Rivera said.

In the opening of her nursing career, it was important to retrieve that it’s OK to not cognize each answer. Building her assurance and learning on the mode were cardinal to her development, she said.

Born and brought up successful Gary, she said it is an grant to enactment successful her location community. She said she is arrogant to beryllium from nationalist lodging projects, wherever she looked up to wellness attraction workers from an aboriginal age. Her aunt was her relation exemplary arsenic a nurse.

As she worked done her certified nursing adjunct and licensed applicable caregiver earlier becoming a registered nurse, Rivera said she that saw immoderate colleagues didn't grounds capable attraction for their enactment oregon their patients.

She made a prime to go the solution, she said, mounting a idiosyncratic extremity to beryllium the champion benignant of caregiver arsenic she completed her coursework astatine Purdue Calumet and aboriginal Gary Ivy Tech., from which she graduated successful 2009.

Rivera’s idiosyncratic improvement has besides near a lasting content connected her peers.

Allena Lovelace, a chap caregiver astatine Methodist Northlake Campus, was trained by Rivera and nominated her for the honor. 

“Katina often fills the relation of complaint caregiver successful summation to precepting caller nurses that travel to the unit,” Lovelace wrote. “Whenever idiosyncratic needs help, Katina is ever acceptable and anxious to measurement in! She is genuinely a eden sent angel.” 

Rivera besides stepped up to the sheet during the pandemic, facing galore unknowns and dire scenarios the microorganism brought to her hospital.

She said she relied connected changeless probe to cognize what was required to attraction for her patients, a ton of prayer, and music.

“(Nurses) each were affected by this: Mentally, spiritually and emotionally. Basically, we survived this,” Rivera said.

“Nurses were connected the forefront of this. We went headfirst. When everybody other ran distant from the pandemic, we ran toward it to attraction for patients,” she said.

Lovelace spoke to Rivera’s work, and the earthy ways she shows however an exemplary caregiver conducts herself.

Whether it’s successful helping those grieving mislaid household members oregon providing placement assistance for a stateless diligent astir to beryllium discharged, Rivera is close wherever she needs to be.

“She's held the manus of dying patients whose loved ones can't beryllium by their broadside and has hugged household members who person travel to accidental their last goodbyes,” Lovelace said.

“Katina is the premier illustration of what a caregiver should be: Nurturing, understanding, resilient, selfless and extraordinary,” Lovelace said.

Pam Robertson often jokes that her vocation way was a small unexpected for those who knew her. After all, she would beryllium the diligent who fainted astatine the show of shots.

Yet, adjacent astatine 9 years old, she knew the value of helping others, and the gravity of the clip successful a person’s beingness erstwhile idiosyncratic indispensable accidental goodbye.

“I was 9 erstwhile my grandma died,” she said. “I callback the heaviness of the event. As a small girl, you conscionable privation to assistance Grandma. It brought retired this bosom to service idiosyncratic who is sick.”

As a registered caregiver with Hospice of the Calumet Area, Robertson works with patients to guarantee they are comfortable, managing their symptom and supporting their mind, assemblage and spirit.

“Mostly we’re conscionable traveling that travel alongside them arsenic they determination done the assorted stages toward the end,” she said.

Robertson besides serves arsenic a enactment enactment for grieving families, galore of them unsure of what to expect oregon however to assistance their loved ones.

“They don’t person to consciousness similar they’re riding solo,” she said. “That companionship has a batch of power.”

The Merrillville nonmigratory earned her associate’s grade successful nursing astatine Purdue University Calumet. She worked successful the oncology portion astatine Methodist Hospitals for 7 years earlier joining the interval pool.

“That’s wherever the caregiver goes wherever you request them astatine the hospital,” Robertson said. “I was exposed to each types of areas — cardiac, neurology.”

After moving connected from infirmary work, she was retired moving errands and picked up a Griffith Shopper, an advertizing magazine.

“I saw an advertisement for a hospice caregiver and called them close away,” she said. “It was arsenic if everything fell close into place. I’ve present been astatine Hospice of the Calumet Area for 13 years.”

Though being a hospice caregiver tin beryllium incredibly hard astatine times — younger patients are the astir challenging, Robertson says — hospice attraction is besides rewarding. Her top occupation restitution moments travel erstwhile patients are astatine peace.

“They’re capable to conscionable fto spell and let God to telephone them home,” Robertson said. “It’s hard successful wide to fto spell from this world, but that happens erstwhile you person your symptom nether power and everything has been checked disconnected the database of things that are bothering you.”

Damian Rico, manager of selling and assemblage relations for Hospice of the Calumet Area, says Robertson is simply a beacon of airy to her patients and colleagues.

“She’s speedy with a gag and ever acceptable to measurement successful erstwhile needed,” helium said. “Her attraction to item is precise inspiring, and she’s speedy to enactment a grin connected faces with her infectious positivity and lukewarm personality. To cognize Pam is to emotion her.”

That beacon of airy has been greatly needed during the pandemic, erstwhile nurses faced unprecedented challenges daily. Robertson says she and her colleagues continued their efforts to link with their patients adjacent with overmuch of their faces and bodies covered successful protective equipment.

“It’s truly important that radical consciousness your bosom done each of that,” she said. “Even a elemental disguise could beryllium a obstruction successful a dementia unit. Patients can’t perceive you oregon recognize you, but they privation to beryllium capable to link to you. The quality bosom truly has to beryllium capable to interaction them.”

As she continues arsenic a hospice nurse, Robertson says she hopes the assemblage focuses connected much bedside attraction and little connected the mechanical aspects of the job.

“You anticipation that the bosom of nursing stays, carries done and stays astatine our core,” she said. “That’s the lone mode it becomes a passionateness and not a job.”

The judges

Kerry Erickson, interim enforcement editor, The Times of Northwest Indiana

Kerry Erickson is the interim enforcement exertion of The Times of Northwest Indiana.

Erickson has a bachelor's grade successful journalism from Eastern Illinois University and has served arsenic lawman exertion for features and nighttime exertion astatine The Times.

She has lived and worked for much than past 20 years successful Northwest Indiana, a spot she is arrogant to telephone home.

Marie D. Forszt, vice president, Marketing and Corporate Communications, Community Foundation of Northwest Indiana, Community Healthcare System

Marie D. Forszt, MPA, RHIA is vice president of Marketing and Corporate Communications for Community Foundation of Northwest Indiana, genitor institution of Community Healthcare System. She earned her Bachelor of Science grade successful Medical Record Administration from Indiana University School of Medicine and her Master of Public Administration grade from Indiana University.

Forszt began her nonrecreational vocation astatine Community Hospital, and has 32 years of health-care absorption acquisition successful areas including wellness information, work enactment development, operational management, diligent satisfaction, cardiovascular probe and selling and assemblage relations. As vice president of Marketing and Corporate Communications for Community Foundation of Northwest Indiana, she oversees marketing, diligent experience, wellness accusation absorption and the Center for Visual and Performing Arts.

Forszt is simply a subordinate of the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) and Society for Healthcare Strategy & Market Development (SHSMD). She besides is connected the Board of Community Cancer Research Foundation. Marie lives successful Munster with her husband, Tony, and 2 sons.

Julie Kerns, BSN, MS-Health Informatics, adjunct vice president, Patient Care Services, Methodist Hospitals

Julie Kerns has worked astatine Methodist Hospitals for much than 20 years. Her vocation astatine Methodist began arsenic a bedside nurse. She has held aggregate positions successful the enactment including supervisor of Employee Health, Clinical Nurse manager, Oncology Nurse navigator, manager of Nursing Quality and Regulatory Compliance and, astir recently, adjunct vice president of Patient Care Services astatine the Southlake Campus.

Kerns holds a Bachelor of Science grade successful Nursing from Valparaiso University and a Master of Science grade successful Health Informatics from the University of Illinois successful Chicago.

Marsha King, dean of the University of St. Francis, Crown Point Campus; subordinate professor, University of St. Francis

Marsha King, DNP, MBA, RN, NEA-BC, CNE, received her associate, bachelor and maestro of subject degrees successful nursing from Purdue University Northwest and her doc of nursing signifier successful systems enactment from Rush University, Chicago. She besides has a master’s grade successful concern administration. Certified arsenic a caregiver executive-advanced and a certified caregiver educator, King has extended acquisition successful enactment positions successful clinical, administrative and world environments arsenic good arsenic 21 years acquisition arsenic a main nursing officer.

A subordinate of the Indiana State Board of Nursing and president for 4 years, King has received the Sagamore of the Wabash Award, Northwest Indiana Influential Women successful Education 2016 and astir precocious the 2017 Athena Award, for enactment and mentoring of women. She is simply a subordinate of the enforcement enactment squad for Go Red for Women and a committee subordinate of the Lake County American Heart Association. She besides sits connected the Area Health Education Center Advisory Council. She besides lectures connected a assortment of topics astatine a local, determination and nationalist level.

Jennifer Philbin, dean of nursing, Ivy Tech Community College

Jennifer Philbin, MSN, RN, received her bachelor’s grade from Lewis University successful 1996 and her master’s from South University successful 2009. She has been successful academia for much than 15 years astatine LPN and RN programs successful Illinois and Indiana. In her existent relation arsenic dean of the School of Nursing astatine Ivy Tech, Philbin has overseen the LPN, RN and LPN to RN acquisition tracks for the Ivy Tech’s Lake County field for 4 years.

Philbin besides has worked successful aggregate areas successful nursing from medical/surgical, hospice, location wellness and organ procurement. However, her passionateness remains successful the assemblage assemblage to supply prime nursing acquisition to the Region. She besides is an ambassador for the National League for Nursing, a nursing acquisition organization.

Nurses: The Heart of Health Care is produced by the Special Sections and Marketing Teams of The Times of Northwest Indiana.