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Excela Health welcomed 60 new nurses to its team just in time for the health system's first-year anniversary. Coming from varied training programs, these new hires will find a common thread in Excela Health.
A graduate of Westmoreland County Community College and now a graduate nurse at Westmoreland Regional Hospital, Renee Bedont, 38, has been a familiar face to hospital employees for many years. Prior to pursuing a nursing career, she was employed by Westmoreland in Environmental Services and later as a customer service representative for Medcare Equipment Co., an ancillary service of Excela Health.
The change in positions increased Bedont’s confidence and level of responsibility. Once enrolled in nursing school, Bedont returned to the hospital setting during clinical rotations in pediatrics and the observation unit.
"I love taking care of patients; I always wanted to be a nurse, but I didn't have a chance when I was younger because I had children," said the Greensburg resident. “I’m so happy to be launching my career. I'm really comfortable here, and I'll be able to learn more and have a better opportunity for family life and advancement."
The desire to be of service is a common reason most of the new hires chose nursing for a profession. Gretchen Hagar, 22, who joined Frick Hospital’s medical surgical unit in June, explained her rationale.
"When I was little, I either wanted to be a teacher or a nurse so that I could help people," said the fellow WCCC graduate and new Mount Pleasant resident. Hagar and her husband, Josef Braun, 22, who is also pursuing a career in nursing, recently bought a house in the community. Braun will begin his studies in August at WCCC.
Defying the typecast that only women become nurses, Joe Miscik, 37, said he chose nursing as a profession for a number of reasons, one of which was having family members in the field. Another motivating factor was a past experience he had at Westmoreland Regional Hospital that shaped his view of the profession.
"I was admitted into the emergency room with a pulled chest muscle," he recalled. "I really liked how professional the staff was; they were really on-the-ball and worked as a team."
The WCCC graduate said he doesn't think gender should play a role when staffing nurses.
"Some patients may respond better to one gender or the other, but overall, there is no difference in the quality of care," he said.
Learning how to "do the job and getting a handle on how things run" are things Miscik is looking forward to with his new job in Westmoreland's Emergency/Trauma Unit.
"These guys are fantastic," he said. "They are always helpful when I have question."
Melanie Pakulski, 43, a new hire at Latrobe Area Hospital, said part of her reason for choosing to work at Excela Health was the quality care she received as a patient.
"I chose Excela Health not only because it's close to home, but also because of the great care I received here as a patient," said Pakulski, who graduated from St. Margaret's School of Nursing in February.
A nurse aide with 20 years experience at UPMC, Children's Hospital and Magee Women's Hospital, Pakulski, who lives in Mount Pleasant, said she wanted her experience in those facilities to benefit community hospitals.
Pakulski, who plans on pursuing a master's degree in 2006, said she's eager to get to know her new colleagues and share her knowledge with patients at Latrobe.
"I feel educating the public is another step in preventing disease," said Pakulski.
Excela Health also welcomed graduate nurses from IUP, Citizens General, Community College of Allegheny County, Penn State-Fayette, Allegheny College of Maryland and Washington Hospital School of Nursing.
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