When the pandemic picked up speed, Critical Care Nurse Eileen Foley volunteered for the front line
When Critical Care Nurse Eileen Foley, RN, BSN, RN, CCRN, studied microbiology and genetic engineering in college, she didn’t have a career in nursing in mind.
She began her career working in the forensic science field, but her son inspired her to a different path. Foley is now a certified critical care nurse at M Health Fairview Ridges Hospital. In honor of Nurses Week 2021, we asked Foley to tell us more about her passion for nursing and her experience in the role.
Why did you decide to become a nurse?
Due to my son's special care needs, I spent a lot of time interacting with nurses in the hospital and clinics. I had such admiration for the role that nurses played in my son’s care and with our family. These experiences inspired me to return to school and become a nurse.
Tell us about your nursing role.
I love being at the bedside. I have been in the ICU for the last six years. I love the challenge of caring for patients requiring critical care. I thrive in learning about the patient's condition(s), partnering with the other members of the care team, and becoming an advocate for my patients to offer the best care possible for them. I am active as a unit preceptor and frequently partner with new staff members encouraging their growth and development in their new role as a critical care nurse. I feel that I best improve patient's quality of life by being knowledgeable about their unique needs and fighting hard to ensure that those needs are met.
What do you find most rewarding about being a nurse?
I love being able to feel that I have made a positive difference in my patient's journey at the hospital. That difference may be supporting that person in a return to health or supporting and comforting someone in their journey towards death. I am passionate about seeing each patient as an individual, with their own unique needs, and striving to treat each patient and their family with the utmost respect that they deserve.
Learn how you can make a difference with M Health Fairview.
Have you been involved in any innovations that you are particularly proud of?
I completed the Professional Nursing Advancement Program (PNAP) at M Health Fairview Ridges Hospital developing a project to enhance communication with non-verbal patients as a result of endotracheal intubation. Using an iPad application, I optimized a user interface that improved communication for some of these patients, with the goal of reducing frustration and anxiety in both our patients and the team caring for them. I highlighted my work in a poster presented during Nurses Week. I am a “forever student,” reading journals and researching current trends in nursing care. I strive to inspire this desire for knowledge in others by creating tools to enhance learning with my fellow colleagues with the knowledge I gain in my own studies.
What has inspired you this past year?
When the pandemic began to pick up speed, my desire to work at the forefront of it grew. I volunteered to transfer to the COVID-19 ICU units early on, spending five months between M Health Fairview St. Joseph’s Campus and M Health Fairview Bethesda Hospital before returning to Ridges. The work was challenging for me personally and professionally but is an experience that I will cherish. I met amazing providers from other M Health Fairview hospitals, working alongside people that I would not otherwise have had the opportunity to meet. I developed lasting relationships with nurses from other parts of the country and enjoyed hearing their experiences in caring for patients in states other than Minnesota. Upon returning to my home unit, I felt I was able to bring with me knowledge and wisdom that I could share with my colleagues to improve the care of our Ridges patients.