This month’s professional spotlight featurs Rita Gaim. Rita is a registered nurse working in a medical-surgical and telemetry unit. Learn more about Rita, her work, and experience working in the healthcare field.
Could you briefly explain some of your responsibilities in your current career role.
I am a registered nurse currently working in a Medical-surgical and Telemetry unit. My responsibilities include assessing patients, administering medications and treatments, and assisting doctors with various procedures. We also work collaboratively with other disciplines, such as physical therapy and social work, to ensure that all the patient’s needs are met.
How did you come to decide that this was the right career path for you?
With the encouragement and support of family and friends in the health care field, I took some nursing pre-requisite courses and really enjoyed them. I honestly can’t imagine doing anything else. Nursing has been a very rewarding and fulfilling career for me.
Is there a philosophy that drives your career?
“It is not how much you do, but how much love you put in the doing.” –Mother Teresa.
I always try to keep this in mind because being a nurse for some time now, it’s easy to get detached or desensitized. I always make a point to administer care as if the patient was a loved one. I truly believe as nurses we are the heart of health care and we have a great responsibility to provide patient-centered and holistic care to our patients.
What do you consider to be your greatest professional accomplishment?
My greatest accomplishment, aside from passing my nursing boards, would be going back to school for my master’s degree. I’m excited to expand my scope of practice and increase my knowledge and skill set.
What’s one piece of advice you would give someone looking to transition into your line of work?
I know one of my greatest fears as a new graduate was if I would be competent enough to provide safe care. My advice to anyone having similar concerns is that you are not expected to know everything straight out of school or ever for that matter. You will develop the skills and confidence with experience. You will also be working alongside a team of other health care providers that will serve as great resources and as a support system.
Outside of all of your hard work and efforts toward building your brand, what do you do for fun? Hobbies?
With my free time I always enjoy spending time with family and friends. I love traveling when I can and sometimes I simply enjoy staying in and catching up on my favorite shows. It’s a great way to unwind and recharge for another busy shift at the hospital.