Blog / News / Press
From Student to Hospice Nurse
rainbowadmin, April 23, 2018
In honor of Nurses Week, Resurrection University wrote a student profile of Claudia Parodi, a graduate who now works for Rainbow Hospice and Palliative Care.
Claudia Parodi is a 2017 graduate of Resurrection University and a nurse at Rainbow Hospice and Palliative Care (since January 2018) who comes highly regarded.
According to Nargis Nardi, MSN, RN, CHPN®, WCC. of Rainbow Hospice and Palliative Care, “Claudia has been an outstanding addition to our team. Having completed her role transition here at Rainbow as part of our Dedicated Education Partnership with Resurrection University her onboarding has been a smooth transition from student nurse to registered nurse. From day one, Claudia immersed herself in her new role of ‘Graduate Nurse.’ Her inherent compassion, empathy, and energetic spirit has brought positive energy to our team. Now that Claudia is a registered nurse she has embraced her new role of symptom management overnight nurse. She is piloting our telehealth program and has shown dependability, clinical excellence, and the progression of critical thinking skills. We are proud to have Claudia as part of our team!”
Speaking with Claudia, it’s clear she embraces her new role as a nurse and although she didn’t initially plan to pursue hospice as a career, she now states it’s her calling.
“I was placed at Rainbow Hospice for role transition (we are placed in our role and do not get to choose). I hadn’t had any exposure to palliative care but was excited to see this aspect of nursing. It’s very challenging, but very rewarding. You are there for the most difficult time for these patients and their families.”
She continues, “I definitely feel like this is my calling. I didn’t know what to expect but each week I was there[for role transition]I was learning something new. The nurses at Rainbow are amazing. They are the most compassionate. There is definitely something that called me to working at Rainbow. When I was offered the job before graduating from nursing school, I was extremely excited and felt very blessed.”
The role of a hospice nurse isn’t an easy one, and when asked about the emotional aspects, Claudia describes why the difficult is outweighed by the support she is providing. “It’s the little things that you can do – talk to the families, the patients. Ask them about how their day is going and how they are feeling. It is very difficult sometimes. But the emotional support you are providing for the patient and family is important and it’s what I keep in mind every day.”
It’s support like this that Claudia and nurses everywhere provide to their patients every day. In addition, she describes other qualities that make a great nurse, “You have to be compassionate. Driven. Strive toward excellence. Be present in the moment and do your best. Be honest. Be a good advocate for your patients.”
Claudia offers advice for nurses just getting started in their careers: “Don’t be afraid to explore and learn new things. Hospice wasn’t what I thought I would end up doing. You never know what field you will be working in. I was always interested in the medical field and in healthcare. I liked the day-to-day patient interaction that nursing provides. It’s also a broad field and you can go so many routes. You are constantly learning. Even 10-20 years from now, I’ll still be learning something new,” she said.
When asked what she ultimately hopes to achieve as a nurse, Claudia states, “Excellence. To do the best I can, for my patients and their families.”
So far, it looks like Claudia is well on her way to achieving her goals.
Adapted from a Resurrection University publication.
