T-R PHOTO BY LANA BRADSTREAM Primary Health Care celebrates nurses during National Nurses Week. Clinical Practice Manager and registered nurse RaDonna Bracy and PHC nurses Sheila Borota, Christina Cox, Denise Cox, Echo Puls, Sandy Weir and Lacey Hennings gather around the banner placed in the hallway honoring them.

This is the time to honor nurses. National Nurses Week, May 6 to May 12, is an annual event celebrated every year since 1990 by the American Nurses Association. Healthcare providers, including Primary Health Care (PHC) in Marshalltown, find ways to show appreciation for their nurses throughout the week.

RaDonna Bracy is a registered nurse and the clinical practice manager for PHC. She said the provider honored the 14 nurses and certified nurses aides (CNA) through a lunch, breakfast, gifts and a crafting activity with decorating cups with stickers.

Bracy knew from a young age that nursing was in her future and made it her career for the last 30 years. She just celebrated her fifth anniversary with PHC.

“I have a love of people and wanted to take care of people,” she said.

Bracy decided to obtain her nursing degree from Marshalltown Community College, which has an excellent program, she said. In fact, Bracy has six MCC students who will soon begin six-week internships for medical assistance and CNA at PHC.

Seeing the interest of college students in nursing is also a reason to celebrate, especially since Bracy confirmed the long-talked-about nursing shortage. Fortunately, PHC does not have a high turnover rate, she said. Unfortunately, when an open nursing position does occur, it can take a long time to fill.

“It can be difficult to hire for,” Bracy said. “I can have four candidates, and two who I am really interested in. If I don’t move quickly, they will take positions someplace else.”

To help combat the shortage and tempt potential applicants, Bracy said providers are implementing new job benefits, such as sign-on bonuses and being flexible with employees.

“It used to be very rigid. You worked 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday,” she said. “They have learned they need some flexibility now, and they are taking time to listen to what nurses need.”

Anything providers can do should help, Bracy said, especially with the number of nurses retiring or getting burnt out.

“It is alarming how many nurses we are losing versus incoming,” she said. “I am hoping new programs will open doors for people.”

The American Association of Colleges and Nursing lists reasons for the nationwide shortage. Some of the reasons include a lack of nursing school enrollment, which is not meeting demand; a large number of nurses are approaching retirement age; and high levels of stress. Bracy feels the root of the shortage lies in people taking a deep look at whether or not they are happy.

“We have given ourselves permission to not be happy, and that it is time to move on,” she said. “I think [the shortage] increased because people were burned out. They worked very long hours, doing more with less.”

The long hours associated with some nursing positions is something Bracy experienced. She could not continue the 12-hour shifts in the intensive care unit (ICU) after her graduation because of eventual health concerns. A young mother at the time, Bracy said that was one of her biggest challenges, but her ICU experience also provided her best memory.

There was a patient who was not going to live through the night. She and the attending physician asked him what he wanted. Bracy said the patient had two very specific requests.

“The doctor went one way, and I went the other,” she said. “We got what we needed to make it happen. He passed by the morning, but knowing I had a part in making his last moments as well as they could be — that has really stuck with me.”

Long hours in the ICU wasn’t the only challenge in her nursing career. Bracy was fearful of the providers she worked with and struggled to find her own voice in the first years.

“As I grew, I formed relationships, and it was then not as scary as I thought it would be,” she said.

Another challenge for Bracy, and one she said other nurses face, was finding her niche.

“There are areas of nursing where you can go home and feel like you are fulfilled,” she said. “You might get a sense of fulfillment in every area, but some more than others.”

Besides ICU, Bracy has worked in home healthcare, long-term care, clinic nursing and as a correctional nurse.

Despite the challenges, she has stuck with nursing and easily identifies the best part of the job — helping a patient receive quality care, which especially applies to PCH.

“We work with patients who have a lot of barriers,” Bracy said. “When we can break through the testing, medication or whatever they need, and see their smile and their sense of relief — that is the best.”

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Contact Lana Bradstream

at 641-753-6611 ext. 210 or

lbradstream@timesrepublican.com.