Dan

For Dan, the path to nursing was something that was embedded in his life from an early age. His mom was a nurse, as was his grandmother — but it was a moment while he and his family was camping that solidified his career path. A woman was drowning in a river while he and his family were nearby, and he helped to pull her out and performed the CPR that saved her life. “I had always been interested in the health field, but it wasn’t until that moment that I felt like it was the place for me,” he says. “I realized I wanted to help people.”

Dan’s new career started in hospice, where he became immersed in home health care. “I liked going into people’s homes — I’m comfortable in different homes, and it’s a challenge I find pretty interesting,” he says. “You have to be resourceful. You have to rely on what you have at your disposal — it’s not like hospitals or nursing homes, where you have access to more supplies and equipment. I like that you have to be creative.” It’s this reason — along with the knowledge that patients heal better and faster in their homes — that reinforced his desire to be a home health care RN. “When you go to the hospital, you go to remedy an immediate health issue. When you go home — that’s when the recovery really begins.”

It’s this emphasis on patient care — and literally meeting patients where they are — that Dan was looking for when he came to Chartwell. “I had actually worked with Chartwell when I was at other places, so I’ve known about them for about 12 years,” he says. “Whenever I worked with Chartwell, I always came away with the impression that they were interested in what I was doing — and they were always interested in helping. That interest is genuine. I thought to myself, ‘you can’t go that long and talk to so many different people there and have that many positive interactions.’ Turns out, you can — so I’ve always held Chartwell in high regard. It’s why I wanted to work here.”

Dan also appreciates that Chartwell is in the business of saying “yes” to patients — and when patients are put first, it means a collaborative work environment for him and his colleagues. “If you’re in the nursing profession, you know that you need to get used to failure and not always knowing the answer. And, I don’t mean that in the way it sounds — it doesn’t mean we fail our patients. On the contrary — if we’re struggling with something, or if we know someone knows more about a particular thing that is new to us, being able to ask for help and take your ego out of the equation is everything,” he says. “At Chartwell, it’s all about getting the best outcome for the patient, so we work together. We ask each other for advice, we seek out the person who’s the best so we can learn from them.”

“So, when you can’t remember the last time you saw that particular infusion pump, or you aren’t as experienced with a procedure as you’d like to be, or you can’t figure out how to change the batteries — that happens, because we’re human! — it means you’re supported by someone who does. That makes you feel comfortable.”