2023 Excellence in Nursing Awards

Illustration: Getty Images

For every doctor or medical leader, there is a team of nurses behind the curtain making sure everything runs smoothly for patients to receive the best care. They are our first responders, caregivers, and medical and emotional support as we face the unknown. Even after we’ve left their care, they follow up to make sure we’re recovering smoothly. They deserve credit for their hard work and it’s our pleasure to honor them. 

Rhode Island Monthly partnered with the Rhode Island State Nurses Association, which chose to solicit nominations for the best in the field from fourteen categories of nurses. This feature highlights nurses from varying backgrounds and shares what sparks their passion for their careers.

If you are a family member, colleague, friend or patient who has recognized the following nurses, know this: Your voice matters and is appreciated. Read on to see what makes these winning nurses stand out in their field. 

Nurse Executive

SARAH SMITH, MSN, RN

Director of Operating Rooms, Rhode Island Hospital/Hasbro Children’s Hospital

Photography by Myke Yeager

What led you to your role?

I have been in the peri-operative setting for fifteen years now. This is not a path I planned at all, but opportunities presented themselves and previous leaders opened doors for me to grow. I started as an educator in the post-anesthesia care unit then onto quality for all peri-op. The OR quality role was heavily involved in the policy and procedure end of the OR when I was asked to help manage. At that time, we were in the beginning phases of the pandemic and the majority of the leadership work that was needed surrounded the quality and safety of our patients and staff. I loved how the team came together and stepped up at every turn to meet the challenges. Those really hard days helped me to see how strong and resilient this team is and what this organization is capable of. It pushed me out of my comfort zone and I liked the challenge. 

What are both the most challenging and rewarding parts of your job?

The most challenging part is finding the balance between the needs of your staff and the demands of the service that needs to be provided. The most rewarding part is being able to pay back what was afforded to me by providing and supporting the growth of frontline staff and my leadership team. I love seeing the way that has allowed us to rebuild as a team. The pandemic was rough on all health care organizations and the reward is seeing us rise out of that with a stronger foundation than when we started.

Proudest moment of your career so far?

I can honestly say I have been very fortunate to be part of several really proud moments at RIH, from my early days as an ICU nurse to some of the remarkable cases the OR team has carried out. I would have to say the proudest I have ever been was checking in during a trauma. The nurse in the room had joined our team as a new grad and I remember several occasions during orientation where she struggled moving to independent practice and needed more support. There she was, running that room like a boss, and it made me so happy to see the confidence and strength that I always knew was there.

“The most challenging part is finding the balance between the needs of your staff and the demands of the service that needs to be provided.”

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Clinical Nurse Educator

Dawn packer, BSN, RN, CV-BC

Clinical Development Specialist, The Miriam Hospital

Photography by Myke Yeager

Was nursing always your career path?

Yes. When I was five years old, my grandmother had a major stroke that left her comatose, and after witnessing the care she received, I decided that I wanted to be a nurse. When I was in Girl Scouts, I learned how to perform blood pressure measurements, volunteered at local health fairs and then volunteered in a hospital as a teenager. I worked as a nursing assistant while I was in nursing school and received my associate degree in nursing in 1999. I’ve worked as a staff nurse since then, and I recently went back for my bachelor’s degree and now work as a clinical development specialist. 

What is the best part of your role?

One of the best parts of the role of education is experiencing that “aha” moment when I have explained a concept in terms that are relatable to the learner. This has happened with my cardiac patients and the clinical nurses whom I currently teach. I have a lot of fun in this role, and I believe learning should be just that — fun, engaging and meaningful. 

In what ways have you contributed most to your profession?

I contribute to the nursing profession by continuing my education. I have been board-certified in cardiac-vascular nursing since 2011, and I am enrolled in a master’s degree program for nursing education to learn more ways to empower clinical nurses with education and tools so they can provide confident, safe, high-quality care to their patients.

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Senior Student Nurse

JASMINE BENNETT, ASN, RN

Community College of Rhode Island

Photography by Myke Yeager

Tell us about your nursing school experience.

It took a lot of perseverance to make it through the rigorous program, with my dad cheering me on daily and my grandfather on the sidelines in heaven guiding me through my journey. My understanding and graceful professor, Donna Ashworth, laid the foundation, while professor Maria Pezzillo helped me “think like a nurse.” When my lifeline and rock, my grandfather/Papa, passed away, I withdrew, but I remembered he always told me to stay in school, which gave me the strength to retake the semester and graduate. My clinical instructor professor Elaine Amato-Vealey pushed me to graduate and forced me into the mindset and reality of being a nurse. I had additional help from my humble, skillful father, Clayton, who unfortunately sustained six strokes through my schooling, and my mom, Cheryl, who is bright, bubbly and the most personable nurse. Through New Hampshire University’s master’s in nursing with a focus in nursing administration, my final goal of becoming a pediatric psychiatric nurse practitioner is inspired by my Lifespan mentor, Janelle. I wanted to give up so many times during nursing school, but I remembered who was watching.

Which nursing field piques your interest?

I am most interested in pediatric psychiatry because of the disparities that age group faces when seeking health care and the need for more individuals for this sensitive community group. This population would be my main goal to work with when I’m an established nurse practitioner. Right now, I am interested in neurology due to my dad’s history of neurological issues and seeing how the brain can affect one’s whole life if it sustains trauma. The field truly fascinates me.

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Nursing Staff/Team

WOMEN & INFANTS NEONATAL INTENSIVE CARE UNIT BEDSIDE NURSES

Interview with Karen Dreyer, RN, NICU Bedside Nurse

NICU NURSING STAFF PICTURED, Back row, FROM LEFT: Amy Bryant, Elizabeth “Liz” O’Hare, Becky Travers, Kellis Blanchet, Tina Lombardi, Lisa McDonald, Beth Woolley, Jolene Paradis, Molly Leung. FRONT row, FROM LEFT: Karin Silvia, Megen Breton, Lori Mansi, Pam Whitman, Jane Clark. (Note: This is just a small representation of the team. There are about 170 NICU staff nurses at Women & Infants Hospital.) Photography by Myke Yeager.

What is the most rewarding part of the job? 

Working with families who thought they would never be able to have a child. Also, the impact we have on families is rewarding. Years later, I was at Target and a family ran over to ask, “Do you remember me? You taught me how to change my baby’s diaper.”

In addition, it is rewarding to celebrate unique experiences and milestones with families as a team. We work with families as a team to help them cope with the overwhelming experience of having a baby in the NICU. We love Christmas cards from families. We all invest in the families, whether it is helping a parent hold their twins for the first time, assisting with their first feed or working to help families bond with their babies.

What makes being a bedside nurse different from other nurses? 

NICU nurses are a different breed. Some nurses enjoy following the care of an infant during their stay while others like the excitement of admitting and transporting babies. We are passionate about our jobs. It takes a meticulous person to take care of a critical baby who cannot tell you what is wrong with them. You must use your knowledge and skills to help that baby and their family.

What do you think makes a successful nursing team? 

Working together as we do helps with our success. Most of our team has worked together for several years. Working together and advocating for our patients and co-workers.

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Clinical Nurse Specialist

BRENNA FRANCO, MSN, APRN, ACCNS-AG

Rhode Island Hospital Center for Professional Practice and Innovation

Photography by Myke Yeager

Tell us what drew you to the field.

I’ve always been a bit of a caregiver, if you will. When I was little, if my friends had a wiggly tooth, they’d say, “Brenna will take care of that for us.” I was never afraid of anything like that. It was probably a foreshadowing of nursing in my future. In high school anatomy class, I thought it was the coolest thing learning about the body. I thought, if I can do this for the rest of my life, I’d be OK with that.

Talk about your specialty of neuro-spine and neuro-stroke.

I oversee two units: the general neurology unit and the spinal surgical unit. We treat seizure patients for epilepsy monitoring. We’re affiliated with the neuro-stroke unit but not the stroke unit. Nurses need to be NIH stroke certified and we provide training to take care of patients. My background is being a medical surgical nurse and I came into this role and started neuro. I act as a resource to the nurses and I’m there as an expert consultant on patient care. Sometimes that means they want to go over some just-in-time learning about certain equipment, other times it means they need help with a patient who is declining. It can also mean that they are looking for a policy/procedure and I recognize that such a resource does not exist. I can help bridge the gap between the day-to-day on the floor and the system as a whole to determine if there is a need for such a resource and develop one with my team. 

What is the most interesting thing you’ve learned so far?

I come from a world where the patient presents themselves a certain way and the labs tell you exactly what’s happening, whereas the brain can tell you so many things. You learn to think more outside the box. I’ve had to teach as well as learn with the nurses, and I’ve learned more from them. I’m very fortunate to have a supportive team at work. I’ve always been someone who reaches out to resources. I’ve reached out to a clinical nurse specialist on the neuro-stroke unit to understand what the nurses would see every day and what to expect.

What’s something that many people don’t know about your role?

We’re advanced practice nurses and have this unique area to impact the system but also be alongside nurses to understand their everyday life and take it up from there and impact patient outcome. I’d love for nurses to know this role exists. I had never heard of a CNS until I went back for my master’s and a nursing professional recommended CNS studies. People see the only options as a bedside nurse and a nurse practitioner but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Every nursing role is so crucial to the health care system. As a profession, we don’t necessarily advertise every position. Becoming a CNS is such a wonderful option for nurses who want more and to impact the health care system as a whole.

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Nurse Leader

ARA MILLETTE, MBA, DNP, RN, NE-BC

Director of Talent Acquisition, Lifespan

Photography by Myke Yeager

What drew you to the nursing field?

I was raised by a single mom who always encouraged me to dream big. Nurses can be experts at just about anything, which is what drew me to the field. Nurses are healers, advocates, leaders, teachers, inventors, philanthropists and lawmakers, so a nursing career is limitless. I was an undecided major in college. Serendipitously, my roommate was a nursing major and her mom an influential nursing leader. With patience and some career coaching, they helped me see that nursing would be the perfect fit for me. I’m so appreciative because I could never picture myself doing anything different. 

In what ways have you been able to lead your colleagues effectively during your role?

I am currently in a nontraditional nursing leadership role that allows me to blend my past experiences as a critical care nurse and as a nursing leader with my current role in human resources. I have the pleasure and honor of working with two incredible teams: talent acquisition and workforce development. I’ve combined my nursing knowledge with my teams’ expertise to build a contemporary recruiting strategy despite persistently challenging workforce shortages. We have worked tirelessly to secure more than 1,600 registered nurses, 875 nursing assistants, 200 advanced practice providers and 475 medical assistants since the inception of the COVID-19 pandemic. We’ve expanded our academic outreach strategy to recruit hundreds of newly graduated RNs from more than seventy-two colleges and universities around the country. We’ve also diversified our workforce internationally to include experienced RNs from more than ten countries across the world.

Our team in WFD facilitates a rigorous schedule of more than nineteen training programs per year, including pharmacy technician, behavioral health specialist and medical assistant. We’ve been able to launch a new Lifespan Nursing Assistant School, which is a fully home-grown and entirely in-house educational experience licensed by the Rhode Island Department of Health and rooted in our organization’s mission and core values. Since 2020, we’ve hired more than 600 people through our workforce development efforts. Our programs benefit underserved populations through life-changing job training and employment opportunities, while meeting the recruiting needs of the organization with well-trained, engaged, retainable talent that reflects our patient population.

What other positions do you hold?

I am the treasurer of the Rhode Island State Nurses Association and an appointed board member of the Organization of Nurse Leaders. Both organizations help to keep me connected to the nursing community locally and nationally. It is critical for us to consider data-driven, collaborative, long-term health care workforce solutions. One way that I helped to positively influence nurse staffing is through our recent advocacy efforts to enact the Nurse Licensure Compact in RI. This new law allows nurses to hold a multistate license to practice across state lines without having to obtain multiple individual state licenses. This improvement will help to reduce administrative and financial burdens experienced by RNs seeking licensure in RI, while increasing the flexibility and mobility of our workforce, expanding our talent pool and improving preparedness for disaster response.

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Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist 

MARCIA BOURQUE-MORENO, ARNP, CRNA

Nurse anesthetist, South County Hospital

Photography by Myke Yeager

What drew you to the field?

Well to start off, I’m celebrating a career of fifty years! I became a nurse in 1973 and there weren’t a lot of options for women in careers: nurse, secretary, teacher. I’ve worked in twenty-four facilities in my career, some freelance, sometimes two places in one week. I was an RN from 1973 to 1979 and I went to anesthesia school through ’81. I took my boards and passed and became a CRNA. While working at Brigham and Women’s in Foxboro, Massachusetts, I was offered early retirement in 2018. Freelance positions started when I had kids. At South County, I thought, let me try being a CRNA, and I was able to get in there with per diem. It’s what I was chosen to do, there’s no doubt in my mind. I don’t want to retire. I love what I do, and keeping engaged keeps your mind young. I’m at the end of my career but I don’t know when the end will be. I’ve never regretted being a nurse or CRNA. I get up in the morning and I never think, “Oh God, I have to go to work today.” It’s enjoyable and keeps me sharp. When I go into South County, they don’t do heads, hearts or pediatrics. I just want to do little things. I’ve done it all.

Why did you choose anesthesiology?

I went to school with a CRNA and wanted to know more. I knew I couldn’t work the schedule of the ICU for the rest of my life; there had to be something better. As an ICU nurse, there’s a lot with your hands: IVs, open heart medical help, it’s all very technical. You have moments of boredom and minutes of terror, whereas anesthesia is very safe.

Tell us an interesting story from the job.

Every patient is interesting: I really get into my patients. When I meet my patient, if there’s any bit of time, I always chat and get to know them. How many kids or grandkids do they have? Every patient is special. I take pride in bringing them in. I’m very good at assessment. Maybe I don’t have the new skills that nurses have, but I’m good at what I know and do. If you get joy out of any job in today’s world, it’s worth staying, don’t you think?

“I don’t want to retire. I love what I do, and keeping engaged keeps your mind young.”

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Clinical Practice Nurse

VICTORIA HORSFIELD, BSN, RN-BC

Psychiatry, The Miriam Hospital

Photography by Myke Yeager

Why did you choose the nursing field?

I am fortunate enough to know I have wanted to be a nurse since elementary school, when my brother Nicholas was born. I remember vividly at nine years old visiting my mom in the hospital after having my brother and being in awe of the nurses. That was my first real exposure to hospitals and nursing staff and I knew immediately that’s what I wanted to be when I grew up. In my nine-year-old mind, I wanted to bring Tylenol and ginger ale to new moms or help soothe newborns when they cried. Of course, I now know the role of a nurse is so much more than that while simultaneously appreciating how far a fresh cup of ginger ale and turkey sandwich can go. I did not go into labor and delivery as I thought I would, but rather med-surgery, stroke and now psychiatry. The range of patients I have been able to care for and the many hats I have worn throughout the last six years have been both challenging and rewarding, but I truly would not change a thing. I feel so grateful to help others on their darkest days, whether learning to walk and talk after a stroke or supporting those suffering from mental health and substance use disorders to get them the treatment they need.

What are you most proud of during your time at The Miriam Hospital?

I am without a doubt most proud of how I have wholeheartedly advocated for my patients over the last six years at the Miriam Hospital. Advocacy is my favorite part of nursing and a skill that I have worked on in many different ways throughout my time as a nurse. My greatest mentor, Holley Lombardi (nee Tucker) demonstrated the importance of using our voice to speak up for those who cannot speak up for themselves. She taught me how to advocate for my co-workers, my patients and myself. When I think of Holley, I think of strength and doing what is right. I have set out to do what is right for those around me whether it is my patients or my peers. I have been a member of the President’s Advisory Council, participated as a Magnet Ambassador and joined the mock code team all to use my voice in different lights. To me, you can teach anyone to hang a bag of Zosyn, but you cannot always instill in someone when or how to speak up for those who need it most. My pride as a nurse comes from the moments when I can help others when they may not know how or be able to help themselves.

Tell us about a positive experience with a patient.

In February and March of 2020, I had a patient on our unit who was with us for a little over a month, which is unusual on an acute medical-surgical floor. She was fairly young and slowly dying of cirrhosis. Early in her admission, I spent my days aggressively treating and encouraging for her to be seen by palliative care. As time went on, I spent my days continuing to advocate for her comfort. As our team watched her decline each day, it became clear that she would not likely make it out of the hospital. My last shift with her was a rare sunny, warm day in March and I decided that if she were up for it, I would wheel her outside for fresh air one last time. I ordered her favorite food, pizza, from the cafeteria and set up a picnic outside. We had lunch together and had a visit from pet therapy as she was an animal lover. She passed away two days later, and it will always bring me comfort to know that she got to have those few moments of sun on her skin and enjoying her favorite food one last time. In these times of comfort that appear through the darkness I am grateful beyond words to be in this profession. 

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Nurse in a Nontraditional Setting

STEVEN KATZ, RN

Nurse Coordinator, RI Training School Medical Clinic

Photography by Myke Yeager

What do you think makes a successful nursing team?

Respecting one another’s opinions and thoughts. Knowing that we are there to serve a purpose: to provide unbiased and equal medical care to every resident at the same time. All of us go above and beyond our job specifications at times to help the youth we serve and one another. Communicating with one another is really important, especially when there’s a small core of us working together, whether we agree or not.

Describe a day in the life as a nurse at the RI Training School.

Our day is from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. with two shifts. The day starts with a medication pass while at the same time providing sick and injury assistance and triaging who may need to be seen in the clinic that day. The medical and psychiatry clinics are held two to three times per week and a dental team comes in. Nurses must have a diverse knowledge and ability to work with various clinicians and teams. Once we’re done with med pass, we come back and set up a clinic, keeping in mind that the youth are in school five days per week.

Some of the issues include altercations between youth, youth not wanting to be in school and legitimate issues. Nurses are educated on gangs and someone from the adult corrections group does seminars. A large part of what we do is mental health. Over twenty-six years, in the last decade, we’ve seen an increase in the acuity of mental health needs of youth. A large part of the day includes communicating with physicians, other nurses, teachers, other aspects of DCYF placements and reports and families.

Second shift nursing focuses on intakes. The influx of youth has increased tremendously. During COVID, there was quite the lull, even down to the teens in numbers. Now, we’re at a forty- to fifty-person capacity. During the end of evening pass, medication is more intense due to sleep meds and types of meds. 

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Community Health/ Public Health Nurse

CLAIRE HAYNES, BSN, RN

Senior Director of Nursing & Workforce Development, Thundermist Community Health Center

Photography by Myke Yeager

Why did you choose nursing as a career?

Sometimes, the path life takes us on can be filled with unexpected twists and turns. In high school, a career in nursing was not something that was on my radar. I preferred the arts over sciences and went on to earn a degree in journalism. Life, however, would guide me in a new direction. My daughter was diagnosed with cancer at the age of eighteen months and later relapsed at the age of three. Though initially feeling woefully unprepared and overwhelmed, I would go on to learn how to care for her many needs with the guidance from her care team, including many exceptional nurses. Our experience allowed me to not only grow in my role as a parent and caregiver but to also recognize that I had something to offer others facing challenging medical situations. That realization would set me on a new path toward obtaining my nursing degree with the desire to provide compassionate care for people in their greatest time of need. As I embarked on my new career, I had limited knowledge of nursing in a community health setting. Stumbling upon an advertisement for a nursing position at Thundermist would turn out to be the next unexpected turn my life would take. After my interview, I immediately knew Thundermist was where I needed to be. It has been an honor and opportunity to care for some of the most vulnerable members of our community in my twelve years here. Building rapport with patients and having them trust in you to have their best interests in mind is tremendously rewarding. I would encourage any nursing graduate to consider a career in community health. 

What is the best part of your role?

I began my career in community health as a staff nurse, providing direct patient care and telephonic health guidance. I’ve had the opportunity to care for patients with hepatitis C and HIV and as a nurse care manager, worked with patients with complex care needs who may be transitioning between care settings. 

As senior director of nursing, I most enjoy helping others on the care team find their path in health care. Through my experience working in these many roles in the community health setting, I have learned the important part we all play in the health and well-being of our local communities. Whether providing guidance to a patient or caregiver over the phone, helping to educate a patient on how to manage their diabetes, or managing mass vaccine clinics as we did during COVID, we function best as a team with the patient and family at the center of that team.

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Licensed Practical Nurse

KAITLIN RUDIS, LPN

Surgical Services LPN/Program Specialist, Providence VA Medical Center

Photography by Myke Yeager

What is so unique about your job?

Working within the surgical specialty clinics has allowed me the opportunity to develop skills and knowledge in a wide variety of specialties and gain hands-on experience assisting the surgical providers here at the VA. As an LPN, we are not often offered the opportunity to work within the hospital setting. We are treated very much as equals with the rest of the nursing staff, we really have a great team in my clinic. Now within my position as program specialist, I take all my clinical experiences and spread that knowledge with the administrative staff when they are making decisions that could affect the productivity of our clinics, and in turn, our patients’ care and experiences. I get to advocate for them on an entirely different level and I am thankful that my leadership team values my input.

How is working with veterans different from working with traditional patients?

Caring for our veterans has really opened my eyes to a population that I think is often overlooked. You have to take into consideration the entire picture of their personal experiences and the effects they have had on their mental and physical health. We take the extra time to listen to them and make accommodations, so they feel safe and comfortable, and most importantly, heard. I think that is what is missing in a lot of the medical field today and I am proud of the work my peers and I have done to try and make that cultural change. Behind their tough exteriors, they really are some of the most compassionate and kindhearted patients; they help us through tough days just as much as we help them. 

What are the most challenging, yet rewarding aspects of your role?

I think the most challenging parts of my role are the interactions with veterans who are suffering with multiple issues, whether that be with mental health, addiction, housing, etc. It really pulls at your heartstrings to see human beings in such a vulnerable state. However, that means I have an opportunity to make it better for them. Those are the rewarding moments, when you can assist them, not just with the physical ailments but help coordinate help in all other aspects as well. 

“Caring for our veterans has really opened my eyes to a population that I think is often overlooked.”

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Nurse Practitioner

HASSAN SAADA, DNP, APRN-CNP, AGNP-C

Urology Nurse Practitioner, LGBTQ+ Veteran Care Coordinator, Providence VA Medical Center

Photography by Myke Yeager

Why did you choose nursing as a career?

I chose nursing as a second career. Prior to my nursing career, I attended music school for cello performance and was a server in the restaurant industry. I was at a point in my life where I found my career unfulfilling and lacked direction. I yearned for a job where I could find a sense of purpose beyond serving my own interests or the interests of a company alone. Improving the lives of others, especially those affected by social inequity, has always been an interest of mine. In this setting, I thought nursing would be an ideal fit. I didn’t realize, though, how powerful the nursing role truly is until I got some experience at my first position at Massachusetts General Hospital. Nursing offers the opportunity to be a vital change agent as a healer, educator and advocate in the myriad roles the profession has to offer. It is a truly expansive role; therefore, it takes time to grow into it — a process which is still ongoing. 

What makes your job different from a traditional nursing setting?

I proudly serve veterans who are a unique patient population with specialized needs. I consider VA clinicians specialists in this regard because there are significant implications for practice that must be considered when approaching this population. There is a greater prevalence of PTSD from combat or military sexual trauma, psychiatric comorbidities, traumatic injuries and conditions related to exposures to chemical or radioactive agents. Not only does this require specialized training and experience, but also a holistic approach that takes all these factors into account when considering assessment and treatment, which is very consistent with NP training in general. In this sense, I feel this role is ideal for NPs because they can truly practice the full extent of their license and abilities. 

What are you most proud of in your career?

I am most proud of improving care for LGBTQ+ veterans. As the LGBTQ+ Veteran Care Coordinator, I am part of a team that ensures that LGBTQ+ veterans receive necessary and quality care. During my doctoral research at the University of Rhode Island, my focus was on improving care for transgender and gender-diverse veterans, a population that is particularly affected by health care inequities — especially when you consider the intersectionality with being a veteran or, perhaps, a member of an ethnic or other minority group. As a result, I implemented an education program for clinicians to promote a culturally sensitive and clinically appropriate approach when treating this population. The Human  Rights Campaign rates health care facilities on health equity for LGBTQ+ persons with a measure called the Health Equality Index. As a result of this program, I was able to increase our score to the maximum of 100.

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Long-Term Care Nurse

LAURIE SIRAVO, RN

Wellness Director, St. Germain Assisted Living

Photography by Myke Yeager

Tell us what drew you to the nursing field.

My passion for helping others. I enjoy making people feel better. I have always been a caretaker and known that this was the career I was chosen for. 

Why long-term care versus traditional settings? 

I have worked with infants and volunteered for hospice, but I have always been drawn to the elders, people with disabilities and those who are less fortunate and need an advocate and guidance through the difficult health care system.

Who has impacted you the most in your career?

There hasn’t been one single person, but there have been many different people who have impacted me. I’ve been impacted by residents who are more like family to me, and their loss really has impacted my life. I had a resident who used to call me her big sister. She would come in my office and sit every day and she would call me her queen. She passed suddenly, and losing her crushed me — it left a big hole in my life. I had another resident who also didn’t have much family. He would call me his “wife” and would come to my office every day asking, “Where is my wife?” He passed away in his sleep and I feel his loss every day. He had no one to claim his body and ended up in a common grave. He was a veteran and deserved so much more. I try to make every day a special one for all my residents. I feel I am fortunate to have known professors, administrators, medical technicians and dietary staff who have all had an impact on my nursing career. My administrator has been a mentor to me and encouraged me to get my administrator’s license, which I acquired in 2022.

What have you brought to St. Germain?

I try to provide a home-like atmosphere. I always have an open-door policy. I have residents who come to me with personal issues as well as medical problems. I try to nurture my residents; most don’t have families. A lot of them have mental health issues and I try to manage the different personalities between my staff and my residents. We are a very close group; we make all the holidays a special event for all the residents, as well as their birthdays. I take some of the residents to doctor’s appointments, accompany those who need me to the oncologist and through their cancer procedures. I have brought a resident to an animal shelter to pick out his new cat. I help the residents with a lot of their activities and accompany them on special outings. The staff and residents know that they can call me any time, and I will be here for them, no matter what. 

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Nurse in an Academic Setting

DEBRA SERVELLO, DNP, AGNP

Chairperson at Rhode Island College Zvart Onanian School of Nursing Graduate Department

Photography by Myke Yeager

What drew you to the academic route of nursing?

I always wanted to be a nurse or a teacher. When I was working in the nursing field, I worked as an NP at the Miriam Hospital from 1997 to 2001 and Landmark Medical Center part-time for about three years. A former faculty member asked me to be adjunct at RIC part-time for a few years, and during that time, I received my doctoral degree. When a full-time position opened, I took it, and I’ve been teaching for nineteen years. I love my students; they keep me going, they keep me challenged. You never stop learning. A CRNA brought forward a case study that I didn’t have a lot of knowledge on and I had to study. Something you learned twenty years ago is not the same as today.

What do you hope each of your students takes away from school?

I hope they learn to be caring and compassionate with their patients, to always ask the whys rather than memorizing the facts. When you’re learning new material, it’s one thing to learn the facts and how something’s done. I want them to learn why they’re learning it. Anyone can memorize steps. It takes a skilled clinician to understand why. I love teaching, and while I miss the NP setting, I’m touching so many more lives by teaching them to be good practitioners. I currently serve as chair of the graduate program and director of the master’s program. In the past, I served as interim dean for the school of nursing for two years. It was a huge learning experience to take on the leadership role.