Nurse finds her career path and “family” at Ascension Seton Hays

When Jamie Fuller was in college, she knew she wanted to go into healthcare but wasn’t sure exactly what she wanted to do. “When I started working for Seton in 2002, I was still in college. When I decided to go to nursing school, I was able to use the continuing education benefit to help me get my Associate Degree in Nursing and to complete my Bachelor of Science in Nursing,” she said. “By gaining these degrees, the doors that have opened for me are numerous and I am able to give more to my family because of it. Continuing education has been the best benefit for me.’

Now an RN and Interim Clinical Manager, Jamie said she appreciates the family atmosphere at Ascension Seton Hays. “You get to know everybody on your unit, on the other units and the ancillary staff so we all come together to work as one united team. The family-like atmosphere here at Ascension Seton Hays is palpable. Also, the leadership is very visible at Hays,” she added. “They round on our associates and patients and actually listen to the feedback that is being given. The leadership works for real solutions and they are as transparent as they can be.”

When asked what it was like to be a nurse during the pandemic, Jamie said, “My team was the COVID-19 unit for the hospital. We had to learn to care for patients using machines that we were not familiar with,” she said. “We had to learn how to communicate with our team and the patients through thick masks and face shields, making it hard to hear.”

Despite the stress of the unknown, Jamie said the pandemic actually was an opportunity for her team to provide compassionate care to the patients and each other. “We treated the patients as a team,” she said. “There were assignments made for the nurses, but truly everybody was in a room helping each other when a patient was becoming critical. Nobody was alone and we were there to support each other with whatever was needed at that time. And the team never failed to smile, speak kindly or show compassion even when the staffing was stretched and the acuity was high.

“And throughout it all, we kept our jobs!” she added. “At the start of the pandemic, other places were laying off nurses and Ascension didn’t do that. They asked us to help our teammates in other departments and I am so grateful for that.”

Taking care of patients and their families can be tough, but also fulfilling. Jamie gave an example of how tensions can run high when a loved one is sick. “I was taking care of a patient in the ER and the adult daughter was so overwhelmed with the situation that she became verbally aggressive towards staff,” she said. “I was able to talk to her, explain the plan of care for her mother and put her mind at ease. It was rewarding to be able to change that situation into one that was productive and no longer a barrier between the family and staff.”

Overall, Jamie said her decision to be a nurse is reaffirmed in the day-to-day care of patients. “Seeing the patients who have been in the hospital, in the ICU, eventually on my unit and then discharged home is the best feeling. It shows how the whole hospital functions as a unified team to get the patient well and home!”