Trauma nurse, Donna Smith, has 30 years of experience treating patients at St. Mary’s Medical Center. Smith treats those who have been stabbed, shot, injured in motor vehicle accidents and falls. She says the most rewarding thing about being a nurse is making a personal connection with her patients. According to Smith, when you show kindness and compassion to patients, it can make a lasting impact on their lives. One particular story stands out more than any other. She once cared for a patient who spent several weeks in the hospital, and over the course of his stay, he lost his job and apartment, and he had no family to come visit and help care for him. When he was getting close to being discharged, the nurses took up a collection and bought him new clothes before he left. The patient was so moved by the kind gesture, and it made Smith so proud to be a part of such a wonderful team. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Palm Beach State, and when she’s not at the hospital, she uses her time to make pillows and other items with scripture and motivational phrases to inspire and give hope to others.

 

 

As a pediatric nurse, Sarah Sarubbi loves being able to treat both her patients and their families during their time of need. She has been on staff at the Palm Beach Children’s Hospital for nearly four years and considers it an honor to be a nurse. What Sarubbi loves most about being a nurse is having the opportunity to develop relationships with her patients and their families. According to Sarubbi, the most rewarding feeling for any nurse is to have the patients go home healthier than when they arrived. She recalls one family she became very close with whose child stayed in the hospital for two weeks with high fevers. Even on her toughest days, she would always get excited to see the family when she came to work. After several weeks of treatment, the child recovered and got to go home. Sarubbi graduated from Palm Beach State College with an associate degree and bachelor’s degree in nursing. When she isn’t working, she is an outdoorsman and loves to fish and go boating with her husband and friends.