Congratulations to William, our Nurse of the Year for 2020! William has been an amazing nurse this year and has stepped up to every challenge handed to him. William continued to work throughout the COVID pandemic and was an incredible asset to the clients and facilities he worked with.
We spoke to William about his win and here’s what he had to say:
What has it been like working through the COVID pandemic?
I am not sure what the impact mentally has been. I hear all these stories of stress and breakdown from healthcare professionals, but I have not been able to quantify how I have been affected. I guess as a nurse right now we are so busy and distracted, at least for me, that I seem to take it all in stride; us nurses are kind of like soldiers, we just keep in the fight. This is a second career for me and I love it. I love the comradery and laughs with my nursing coworkers. I am thankful for all the recognition from strangers of all types that will just yell out ”Thank you” as you walk down the street in your scrubs. I love the effect I have on patients that I spend time with, who really appreciate a little humanity and genuine concern I give. We are all so isolated, traumatized and lonely at times through this pandemic, imagine my covid patients who can’t see anyone, but us nurses and doctors in our space suit PPE.
What have you learnt this year?
Well, I have learned a lot about Brooklyn and its inhabitants this past nine months. I have learned about my ever-deepening passion for this career and how deep my empathy for my patients has become; how I strive to advocate for them; many are so sick.
What do you enjoy about working through Thornbury Nursing?
I see how well Thornbury works behind the scenes to represent us nurses and keeps us rewarded with competitive salaries. We work extremely hard mentally, physically and emotionally, so we deserve to be represented in this way and it is appreciated. The folks over at the Thornbury offices are so fun, helpful, understanding and responsive to my questions and concerns. I thank you all.
Thank you for being an amazing Thornbury nurse, William!
