My career began at Foundation Medical Partners 22 years ago when I first started as a receptionist at Amherst Family Practice. I also worked at Foot and Ankle Care and then moved to the OB/GYN practice.  Then, I expanded my career as the first operator for Merrimack Family Practice, utilizing our new phone system, ShoreTel.   After a brief time off to take care of a family member, I remember thinking about how much I missed working at Southern New Hampshire Health.  When an opportunity arose for me to return to Foundation Medical Partners to work at Amherst Family Practice, I was very excited.  I received the call from a Human Resources representative asking me, “Are you ready to come home?”  My answer was, “I most certainly am!”

Since returning to Foundation Medical Partners, I’ve never looked back, and I plan to retire at Amherst Family Practice.  As an employee, I’ve experienced exceptional career growth.  I’m treated with respect, my contributions are acknowledged and appreciated, and I have had the opportunity to mentor new employees.  Our CEO of Foundation Medical Partners is very approachable and comes to our site meetings to thank each and every one of us for our dedication.

Everywhere I go, I seem to run into someone who wants to share a personal experience with me.  One afternoon at the grocery store, a woman next to me started a conversation.  As we talked, I realized we had a lot in common.  It was like running into an old friend.  During our chat, she mentioned that she’d recently changed doctors and said she was so impressed by the care she received from the moment she walked in the building.  She said the receptionists were kind, cheerful and helpful, and the nurses were exceptional and made her feel right at home.  She also mentioned how caring, kind and knowledgeable her new doctor was.  When I asked which practice she was going to, she said, “Amherst Family Practice!”  My heart felt so warm, and I was so proud to inform her that I work at this amazing practice.  It is truly a pleasure to be a member of the Southern New Hampshire Health team!

I have worked at Foundation Gastroenterology for a little over a year, and I couldn’t be happier!  This practice is like a family to me, and I look forward to coming to work every day.  Since I started, the direction, support and communication I’ve received has been wonderful.  No one sat me at a desk expecting me to know how to do everything.  Instead, I received mentoring from the beginning, and I’ve been encouraged to pursue additional educational opportunities along the way.

This practice is always striving for the best, and respect and trust are really important here.  Our providers ask me to take care of things for them, and they appreciate my work and know they can count on me to provide excellent patient care.  It’s really rewarding.

As an organization, my colleagues are always looking for ways to help patients and each other.  It seems like every time I walk down the hallway, there is a doctor or nurse or staff member giving directions or asking if they can help.  This care for others really makes me feel at home.

Ever since I started in this role five years ago, I’ve been given opportunities to influence care delivery in positive ways from Day One.  Foundation Nursing Leadership is always seeking employees who have ideas to share and a strong commitment to patient safety.  The ideas I contribute are always taken seriously.  I feel valued and appreciated, which is very important to me.

Our department also has an exceptional orientation process.  We’re really committed to empowering new nurses by providing support, resources and coaching, which leads to success.  In one instance, I visited the department of a nurse who received orientation training from me eight months prior.  She called me over to her desk and said, “I need to show you all of the things I’m doing now!”  It’s really rewarding to help employees grow into their role, as they provide the best patient care.

I’ve worked as a nurse at SNHH for five years total, spending the past year as a nurse in Pre-Op/PACU. I’ve really appreciated the fact that I can learn from other nurses who have been here for 20 or 30 years who have previous experience in departments like the ICU and Orthopedics.  We share a well-balanced collaboration of minds from different perspectives.

Teamwork is also really valued here.  We pitch in and help each other whenever we can.  During one of my shifts, I needed to stay with a patient while the patient received continued care in Radiology.  This patient really needed support, because family and friends weren’t in the area.  While I was away from my department, my whole team was there to take care of everything without being asked.  During this time, I was able to connect with the patient, providing reassurance that the patient wasn’t alone; we would get through this together.  Situations like this are the reason I became a nurse in the first place.  Working with a great team while showing patients respect and compassion without judgment is really rewarding to me.

I’ve worked at SNHH for the past three years, and during this time, I’ve appreciated the fact that my manager organizes monthly community service projects and activities.  Some of them include volunteering to help kids do their homework through a Nashua Police Athletic League program or helping out at the Nashua Soup Kitchen.

My manager also plans recognition activities to engage with us and show us that we’re valued.  During these activities, comment cards from co-workers and patients are shared.  The positive feedback we receive boosts our self-esteem within our department and the hospital.  Once, I was given an SNHH lunchbox as a token of appreciation for a comment I received on a card.  It’s great when we’re reminded of the great job we’re doing.  I have a great team!