Editor’s note: This commentary is by Julie Morse, who is nursing director of cardiovascular and neurosciences at the UVM Medical Center, where she has worked for more than 33 years.
[T]hirty-three and a half years ago I arrived at this hospital just out of nursing school and ready to take on the world. I chose this profession because I have always wanted to care for and connect with people, and because my mother, a nurse herself, was such an inspiration.
This is not a profession for the faint of heart. Long days, long hours, on our feet, by the bed, comforting patients and families, solving problems – all in a fast-paced, high-stress and high-stakes environment. There are times of immense joy and times filled with deep sorrow. Through it all, we know without a doubt our work matters and truly makes a difference for our patients, their families and this community.
I’m obviously biased, but I believe we have the best nurses in the country. Their dedication goes beyond the direct care they deliver to our patients. Their efforts enable the hospital to respond to critical needs such as the opioid and mental health crises, food insecurity and housing access, all of which have a significant impact on a person’s health and on the health of our entire community.
Like all hospitals, we work hard to hire, train and support our nurses so they are able to grow and achieve their career goals, with the hope they stay here and become family, as I have.
I’m not going to sugarcoat things – we do have challenges. This has never been easy work. Our ongoing national mental health crisis has made that work harder, and as our community ages more and more patients need our care. As a nurse leader, it’s my job to understand the pressures my nurse colleagues are facing, to advocate for my team, and to continually strive for better ways to solve these very real problems. This is a place that acknowledges setbacks and works to make things better. I would not have stayed here for more than three decades if that were not the case.
There has been so much back-and-forth out there surrounding the nurses’ contract negotiations, I felt moved to offer my perspective on who we are and what we stand for. At the University of Vermont Medical Center, we mean it when we say we are all one team. Whether you’re a newer staff nurse, just getting your start as I once was, or you’re a nurse manager, or a nurse leader as I am today, each and every day we come to work and support each other. We all share the same responsibility, no matter where in the hospital we work: to provide the quality of care for our patients and their families that we would want for ourselves and our loved ones.
I was involved in early nurse contract negotiations years ago, and those were tough times too – not unlike what we’re experiencing now – but we will get through this. There will be difficult days ahead as we prepare for a potential strike. What keeps me grounded is remembering that our patients need us. When the contract is settled and this chapter is behind us, we’ll need time to heal and regroup, but there’s never been a doubt in my mind that the UVM Medical Center and our nurses will be here for this community when you need us.
