Nurses and their teams at Northern Light Mercy Hospital have shown incredible strength, compassion, and resiliency in the face of unprecedented challenges in healthcare. In observance of Nurses Week this year, our nurses were asked to reflect on their experiences over the past year and beyond. The following is a sample of their responses.

Brandy Boissoneault, RN, Recovery Room

Every day and every moment since I walked through the doors of Mercy Hospital in 2001, I have witnessed the extraordinary work performed by the nurses here. As a nurse intern at 19 years-old, I was exposed to and mentored on what it means to be a Mercy nurse, and it resonated with me. Fast forward 20 years, and I still carry a great sense of pride being a Mercy nurse. The Mercy “heart of healing” does not stop with patient care. Nurses here care for each other with the same passion and drive as they do for their patients. In times of celebration and in times of unforeseen circumstances, we band together, providing food drives, creating fundraisers, donating paid time off, making care packages, or providing a shoulder to cry on. So, it’s hard to describe one situation or example that illustrates the dedication of the Mercy team, as there are too many to mention. Being a Mercy nurse is not what we do, it is who we are.

Fred Gemmer, RN, Wound and Hyperbaric Medicine

I feel proud to be a Mercy nurse. I see what my colleagues do daily. They meet the physical needs of our patients with respect and compassion. This caring behavior has always been part of the Mercy way. When one of us is losing steam, we ask how we can help one another. Nursing is not just about the nurse and patient relationship. It is also about the nursing team member’s support for one another. It goes both ways. Sometimes I’m giving help, and sometimes I’m receiving it.

Beth DeCrosta, RN, Primary Care

It’s not new that good teams mean better results. They matter in baseball, in business, and they matter in healthcare. In recent years, nurses have cross-trained and flexed schedules into roles they never expected. If, like me, you are clipping a hospital badge to a uniform and showing up today, you are someone who knows teams matter a lot: nursing leadership that brought us new ways of practice and direction; informatics that helped navigate workflows; walk-in care colleagues who kept doors open when others were unsure; “super swabbers,” vaccine staff, and triage nurses driving a mission to reach inner city and rural, old and young; and teams stepping up to be in homes, schools, shelters, religious and correctional facilities—all bringing care where it needed to be. You were “my team.” I am glad you were there.

Mindy Charles, RN, House Manager

Mercy nurses are dedicated to meeting not just the medical needs of our patients, but the spiritual and emotions needs as well. Our mission is carried out in the small moments: a blanket from the warmer, a snack at 3 a.m., or a little humor that brings out a smile even under the most difficult of circumstances. It takes a village to provide a high level of care to our patients and their families. The most important thing nurses do is take care of each other. The love and support we receive from our colleagues keep us strong and able to care for others.