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Network: June/July 2007
For Budding RN, Outstanding Patient Care is in the Details
 Tonia Reid, LPN, started working at Sentara Obici Hospital in 2000 as a nurse’s aid. She became a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) in 2002 and, with the help of Sentara’s tuition reimbursement program; she is just six classes shy of completing her coursework to become a Registered Nurse (RN). She hopes to celebrate that milestone this fall.
 Additional information on Employment at Sentara
Courses offered through Sentara School of Health Professions
Nursing at Sentara DVD streaming video. To request a copy, send an email or call (757) 228-7433.
| Cheers from the Sidelines
“It’s a great opportunity Sentara gives you,” she said. “Tuition assistance helps a lot. It motivates you, too, because the grade you get determines how much reimbursement money you get; so I really want to do well.”
Reid said it also helps that others in her work area are supportive. “Everybody in my unit, my co-workers, and my manager ― even our vice president of nursing ― is encouraging. They want you to get all the education you can get. That helps a whole lot.”
Growing Your Employees
According to Mike Taylor, Vice President of Human Resources for Sentara, that sentiment plays an important part in Sentara’s efforts to recruit and keep good nurses.
“People have to be able to grow,” said Taylor. “At Sentara, that concept is supported throughout the system. When we recruit candidates, we tell them that Sentara is a very large organization. You can come here and go back to school and get your degree, you can go into management, or you can find a part-time job with flexibility so you can be home with your kids…whatever your goals are, you can be successful here.”
Facing Her Fears
Reid, 38, worked as a school bus driver for eight years before making the decision to pursue nursing. The Smithfield, VA native explained why this career choice took her family by surprise.
“When I was young, I was petrified of the hospital,” she laughed. “If we had to go there, I would walk down the hall and just look straight ahead. I was afraid to look in the door of a room for fear of what I might see. When I told my Mom I was going into nursing, she said, ‘You?’”
Rites of Passage
A defining moment in her life came on the day she was to take her LPN final exam.
“I took night classes and I had to be there at 6 p.m.,” she recalled. “Early in the afternoon on the day of our test, my Dad had a massive heart attack and passed away.”
Shocked and saddened, Reid knew what she had to do.
“It wasn’t easy, but I drove in to take my test and I did it. My dad was my motivation. He always said he was happy I was going into nursing in case someone in our family got sick and needed someone there to help. I know he helped me get through that test.”
Name That Tune
Reid said she sees many sick patients on 1Medical Oncology. Some are recovering from surgery; others are receiving cancer treatment or diabetic care. She tries to be a bright spot for them.
“We have cancer patients who are really down and I sing them a song and try to keep their mind occupied and off of their diagnoses and treatment. Sometimes they will request a particular song and if I don’t know it, I’ll look it up on the Internet and try to sing it for them.”
“I’m Glad You Were My Nurse Today”
“Our unit is very good to work on,” said Reid. “We work together. If I don’t understand something, there’s always someone around I can ask, always a resource to go to.”
Reid said she looks forward to becoming an RN so she can do even more for her patients.
“I’m a people person so I enjoy nursing. I like making my patients comfortable, seeing if they need anything for pain or need to be repositioned. I say I’ve had a great day when someone tells me, ‘I’m glad you were my nurse today.’”
Comment cards submitted with patient feedback have earned Reid several pins, which she wears proudly on her badge. For example, one patient was in need of socks. When her shift was over, Reid drove to Wal-Mart and brought him back six pairs.
“It was something so simple,” she said. “But I realize that little things mean a lot.”
Nursing at Sentara DVD
To help attract good nurses in a high tech age, Sentara recently developed a new recruitment tool ― a Nursing at Sentara DVD, which can be mailed to applicants or accessed online as streaming video through Sentara’s website. Reid is one of a number of LPNs featured on the DVD.
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