As an emergency room nurse, Dawn Day doesn’t have to seek motivation.
“In the profession I am in, there is no way not to be motivated,” says Day, a registered nurse supervisor at Mercy Hospital Springfield. “Working as an RN in a Level I trauma center provides the unique opportunity to care for individuals of diverse populations, socioeconomic backgrounds and ethnicities. In addition, we have to hold a large knowledge base of multiple illnesses that would bring someone to the emergency department.”
Day started work at Mercy in 2008 and rose to supervisor two years later.
“Dawn has exceptional organizational skills and is able to prioritize any situation and manage what to others might look like a disaster,” says Karla Kellogg, a nurse manager at Mercy. “She thinks quick on her feet and is capable of directing and delegating duties as needed to get the job done. Dawn pays close attention to detail and provides exceptional care to patients and the staff she manages. She has strong critical-thinking skills that match her ability to organize.”
Although Day treats trauma patients within a 22-county region, most people who visit the ER have a medical illness, including many who do not have a primary care physician.
“We are pleased to treat each one of these patients with special compassionate service and care,” Day says. “I oversee the care of each one of these patients through the hard work of our physicians, nurses, techs, secretaries and family patient advocates. I am often faced with the struggle of adequately caring for a patient that is seeking care for social reasons rather than medical reasons.”
Day offers patients the chance to shower, change clothes and eat a hot meal before they leave, and they are set up with necessary follow-up appointments.
“Each one of our patients that comes through our doors is cared for as a whole rather than just the complaint for their visit. I am proud to say that on a nightly basis I’m an integral part of the overall care of those we serve throughout the Ozarks,” she says.
Day is the only night supervisor trained as a sexual assault nurse examiner. She stays current on training and meets monthly with other professionals who interact with sexual assault victims.
“As a SANE, I am greatly privileged to be given the opportunity to have this unique interaction. Each encounter I have with members of the community enables me to gain further perspective about the experiences of a sexual assault victim,” Day says. “This in turn allows for me to perform better in my role as a SANE that cares for victims. When caring for patients who are the victim of such a traumatic event, it is such a benefit to the patient to have someone with this extra knowledge base.”
In addition to taking the continuing education required for her profession, Day regularly attends additional training, from certified emergency nurse review classes to table-top drills and full-scale disaster drills.
“As a supervisor, I am often a primary resource for others in the department. I never will pass up an opportunity to further my knowledge in my field with the continued hope that I will be able to pass that knowledge on to others,” she says.[[In-content Ad]]
A safe room and classroom addition at Willard Central Elementary School will be used by the music, arts and athletic programs for a district that had 4,536 students last year, according to Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education figures, but school officials say enrollment is projected to grow.
