story and photo by James Coburn, Staff Writer
In 2008 Laura Gomez was hospitalized for two months at age 12. She had lupus and her journey would provide impetus for a nursing career.
“There were two reasons,” said Gomez, LPN, Valir Rehabilitation Hospital. “One was the nice loving care by the nurses. The other reason was I had a really bad experience with a nurse one time, and I told myself I want to be the opposite of her. And, if there’s more people out there that are kind and generous it will make me feel better. I wouldn’t want anyone else to be treated that way. And I was a child when that happened.”
Gomez, 26, entered the nursing profession in May after graduating from Canadian Valley Technology Center, located in El Reno. She was enrolled in a self-paced nursing program with a certain amount of time to finish. (Story continues below)
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“I really liked it because I was still able to manage my outside life and school life,” Gomez said.
She learned about Valir Rehabilitation Hospital from a close friend who worked there. She began working as a tech at Valir during her course studies. Gomez had worked as a CNA for eight years before joining the Valir nursing team three months ago. She had previously considered a career in long-term care.
“But she was telling me the type of stuff she got to experience here. And I thought that was interesting,” Gomez said at the midtown Oklahoma City hospital.
Gomez felt a calling to help people transition from being in a full-service hospital. Her 12-hour shifts begin in the morning to help people recover from vehicle collisions, among other health conditions.
“We get a report. I usually go in and introduce myself to my patients to see how they’re doing and if they’re having any pain,” Gomez said.
Afterwards she will provide medicine to patients and do assessments. Gomez will educate patients needing answers. Oftentimes her patients need to understand their limitations by taking their time. She said time management has been an important focus of her own learning process.
Gomez had worked at Valir as a tech before joining the nursing team. She was already qualified to give medicine due to being experienced as a certified medication aide. A Valir mentor oriented her to daily practices as a nurse.
“I kind of knew what was expected. At certain times it was learning the electronic part of it — that was the hardest part. I felt like I had the patient care down, talking with them, being familiar with them.”
The nursing staff has been amazingly helpful to her as a new nurse, she continued. They empathize with her need for mentorship.
“They’re all willing to help. I know that everyone gets busy,” she said.
Gomez said she is still new to providing IV medications. So, she asked one of the nurses to walk her through the process once more to build confidence.
“She was doing her meds and said, ‘Let me just give these meds and I will be there,’” Gomez said. “I really appreciate that.”
Being part of a synergetic nursing team making a positive difference in patients’ health makes Gomez feel good at the end of the day. Helping patients could be as simple as teaching them about a newly prescribed drug or a safer way to be mobile.
“To know that knowledge is being put to work and they’re very grateful for it, makes me feel good and makes me feel I did something right,” Gomez said.
She is grateful for the feedback she has gotten from her patients, especially when they thank her for taking time to patiently explain things in an unhurried manner that hasn’t occurred quite as often in other hospitals, Gomez said.
“Honest to God, it makes me feel good,” she said.
Most patients need someone to listen to them. She sits at eye-level with patients while they voice their concerns.
“A lot of the time, that’s all they need,” she said.
Patients will tell her about their families and adult children, and how they love to visit them.
“I know that when I go home at the end of the day that I’m very tired,” she said. “But it does feel good to know I’ve helped someone’s life, to know you were there to attend to their needs and knowing I did everything possible to make them feel better.”
Nursing gives her the strength, the momentum, and the faith to endure the events that naturally happen.
“Growing up my parents always said I was really helpful. I would say that my strength comes from my parents, just seeing the way that they raised us to be kind and compassionate persons, stay away from conflict and always be a helping hand for someone in need, because you never know when you’ll be in need.”
Interested in Joining Valir Rehabilitation Hospital? Visit: https://valir.com/join-our-team/
