You never know the impact you can leave on someone’s life. It can be small, but it can be life-changing. During Leadership Rounds at Elliot Health System in October, a chance encounter proved this to be true.
During rounds, Keri Grande, BA, BSN, RN-BC, NE-BC, Director of Ambulatory Specialty Nursing at Elliot Medical Group, crossed paths with Elizabeth Tobin, RN, in the Geropsychiatric Unit. Upon seeing Tobin, she got the feeling she had previously met her. She quickly realized it’s because she had. In fact, Tobin had inspired her to go into nursing.
Grande and Tobin had worked together at the Salem Walk-In Center and Family Practice in the mid-1990s. At the time, Grande was a Health Occupations student at Salem High School. Part of her curriculum was an externship at a local health care entity. She chose the clinic so she could experience nursing in an ambulatory care setting. At the time, Tobin was a registered nurse at the practice.
After completing her externship, Grande took a front desk job at the clinic so she could continue to immerse herself in the health care environment. She says during that time Tobin and other nurses at the clinic were extremely supportive as she grew from a PSR, to a Medical Assistant, and eventually entered nursing school.
“I will always remember Elizabeth’s patience in teaching me everything from immunizations to blood draws and anything else I wanted to learn (within my MA scope). She answered all of my questions and modeled compassionate care in all situations. Interestingly, there was another nurse who worked at the Walk-In Center with Elizabeth and I, who I also credit for inspiring me to become a nurse. She too now works here at The Elliot. Anna Holland, a resource nurse in primary care, showed me the same kindness and patience during my time at the Walk-In and was instrumental in making me the nurse I am today. What both Elizabeth and Anna didn’t realize at the time was the impression they made upon me as a future nurse. I’ve been extremely lucky to be able to share my gratitude with them both now,” Grande says.
A nice reminder of how you can impact a person’s life!