Nurses reflect on the privelege of being a caregiver

CONWAY — The nurses were gathering in the Maryellen LaRoche Great Room at the headquarters of Visiting Nurses Home Care & Hospice of Carroll County in North Conway for their twice monthly meeting. They shared their perceptions of the nursing profession and what drew them into this line of work. The setting was appropriate as Maryellen LaRoche, who passed away in 2009, was a mentor and an inspiration for many nurses in Mount Washington Valley over the years. Her commitment to patients and the nursing profession was echoed by the nurses who have followed in her footsteps, as they reflected on National Nurses Week, which is being celebrated by VNHCH May 6-12.

The nurses represented a diversity of experiences. The newest had joined the organization just a few months ago. Others had decades of experience. Almost all provide direct patient care either as a case manager (responsible for overseeing and providing care to a group of assigned patients) or assist the nurse case managers in providing care. Common themes came out of their discussion, that they were committed to their profession due to a hard-wired desire to help people and educate them about their health and their own care.