Salute to VITAS Nurses

 

When Erika Avila, R.N., was 17 years old and her grandmother became terminally ill, she realized that nursing was her calling. Avila has been a nurse for 16 years, including nine in hospice.

 

Avila decided to join VITAS when her other grandmother, who had become terminally ill, was admitted to VITAS for hospice care 7 years ago. Avila was so impressed by the caliber of people and compassionate care her grandmother received that she decided to apply.

 

Avila realized that good quality hospice care has a direct correlation to the people she works with and the company she works for, she said. “It’s an honor to work with my team, they are a group of amazing people with compassionate hearts.”

 

"The most rewarding part about my job is to know that I’m making a difference,” Avila said. “To see my patients’ eyes light up when I’m caring for them means the world to me.”

 

 

According to Veronica Stewart, R.N., one of the most important aspects of caring for hospice patients is helping them fulfill their last wishes. This brings great joy to patients and their loved ones and, in turn, to her. “Their priceless smiles will bring me deep joy for the rest of my life.”

 

Ever since joining VITAS in 1998, Stewart still enjoys every aspect of her job including the teamwork environment that VITAS provides. She loves helping her co-workers and often takes on a role of mentor by sharing her wealth of knowledge as a hospice nurse.

 

“I enjoy all aspects of my work as a hospice nurse,” Stewart said. “It makes me feel good to help my patients and know they are content and at peace.”

 

 

Dayan Pendas-Martinez, L.P.N., had a taxing journey to becoming a hospice nurse. While attending nursing school, he raised three children and supported his family by working in customer service. Despite his hardships, he kept an optimistic viewpoint and never lost sight of his goals.

 

“My mission as a hospice nurse is to give people the chance to say goodbye to their loved ones,” Pendas-Martinez said. This mission stems from Pendas-Martinez’s own experience, two years ago, with his terminally ill uncle. “I am deeply grateful to have had a chance to spend the last moments of my uncle’s life by his side and say goodbye to him,” he said. “Now, as a hospice nurse, I appreciate the opportunity to help families say goodbye while building moments they will cherish forever.”

 

 

When her mother passed away several years ago, Michelle Minor, a registered nurse for 22 years, was taken aback by the wonderful care her mother received while on hospice. Since then, Minor decided to focus on caring for patients at the end of life.

 

Minor, who has been with VITAS for 15 years, said she chose the company because it embodies the principles she considers most important: kindness and compassion.

 

“Being able to comfort patients and help their families and loved ones find peace of mind is my motivation,” Minor said. “My personal experience with hospice was pleasant and it opened my eyes toward the dying process. I want to help other families so they can have the same memorable experience I had.”

 

 

For Chandrawattie Narain, R.N., becoming a nurse was a childhood dream. Seven years ago, she made that dream reality.

 

After receiving a nursing degree, Narain decided to become a hospice nurse out of her desire to alleviate discomfort, especially to patients and families that are extremely distressed.

 

Narain, who joined VITAS in 2008, has been called an “angel” by some families.

 

“It is so rewarding to see how much our patients and their families appreciate the services we provide,” Narain said. “Often words cannot describe how appreciative they are. Families say they could not imagine going through this difficult time without our support. Their sincere appreciation brings tears to my eyes.”

 

 

When she was 13 years old, Cynthia Eugene, B.S.N., M.S.N., began caring for her elderly grandmother, whom she was very close to. At the time, Eugene did not realize that what began as a demonstration of her love for her grandmother would turn into a career in nursing.

 

While Eugene has enjoyed the nine years she has spent in nursing, she says that she finds the past four years that she has spent as a hospice nurse to be the most rewarding.

 

Caring for terminally ill patients and their loves ones enables her to help people at one of the most important moments of life: the end of life, she said.

 

“It is so rewarding when families thank me for spending time with their loved ones and making them feel special and cared for,” Eugene said.

 

 

After working as a nurse for nine years, Kepler Altidor, R.N., recognized a significant need in the community for quality hospice care and felt a calling to make a difference. He decided to join VITAS in 2009 based on the company’s strong reputation as the nation’s leading provider of end-of-life care.

 

In addition to the teamwork and camaraderie that he enjoys in his work at VITAS, Altidor says he most appreciates the opportunity to have a meaningful positive impact on the lives of terminally ill patients.

 

“Many patients are alone and their families live far away, and it is so heart-warming to see how much they appreciate everything I do for them,” Altidor said. “I am so blessed to be able to care for my patients and provide them with the care that I would give to my own family members. When my patients tell me they love me, I know I am doing right by them and myself.”

 

 

As a child growing up in Haiti, Marie Toussaint, B.S.N., R.N., found herself caring for ailing family members. She found caring for them so rewarding that she decided to make it her life’s work to help people in need. She decided to move to the United States 32 years ago to study nursing.

 

“Hospice care helps terminally ill patients feel better, which is critical at such an important moment of life,” Toussaint said. “Providing my patients with comfort, compassion, dignity and respect is the greatest service I can provide, and I am grateful for the opportunity to fulfill my life’s calling.”

 

Toussaint, who visits hospice patients living in nursing homes, typically sees six to seven patients a day and would visit more patients if there was more time in the day, she said.

 

“It is my duty in life to give back to my community and humanity as a whole,” Toussaint said.

 

 

Norma Spencer’s career in healthcare spans four decades, two continents, and the beginning and end of life. Spencer, a registered nurse, joined VITAS 20 years ago after moving from England, where she had worked as a midwife.

 

“Earlier in my career I had the privilege of caring for people at the beginning of life and now, later in my career, I have the privilege of caring for people at the end of life,” Spencer said. “It is an honor to serve my community and I am thankful each and every day to help my patients find peace.”

 

Spencer joined VITAS’ Broward program in 1994 and transferred in 2003 to its newly opened Palm Beach program. There, in addition to providing care to patients, she helped train the program’s staff members.

 

Known by her team as “Miss Norma,” Spencer said she takes great pride in nurturing newcomers and passing along her knowledge.