Atlanta, GA,
09
December
2015
|
09:30 AM
America/New_York

Shepherd Center Nurses Have Distinctive Qualities That Patients and Families Need

Gail Greene, RN, BSN, CRRN, nursing manager for Shepherd Center’s brain injury units, reflects on the jobs nurses do.

Gail Greene, RN, BSN, CRRN, has 39 years of experience as a registered nurse. She began her Shepherd Center career in March 2007 and is responsible for the nursing staff and the day-to-day operations of Shepherd Center’s brain injury units.

Q: What is distinctive to you about Shepherd Center’s nurses?

A: They’re motivated. They are very nurturing people. They love developing relationships with patients and families. Our nurses have a unique opportunity to help take someone from a very difficult place in their lives and feel they’ve made a difference in helping them heal and return to a level of independence.

And it’s rewarding when those patients come back on their own terms. I know when I’m in my office and I hear one of our nurses shout, “Look at you! Look at you!” that means a patient has come back to see us! We love those visits.

Q: What do you tell families when you first meet them?

A: I try to make sure they know everyone here cares and that we want what’s best for them and the patient. It’s important to let families know that we’re here to listen. And that we’re going to do as much as we possibly can to support them. It’s not just about the patient. We take care of everybody here.

Q: What’s the most important thing you have learned directly from patients?

A: There is always hope. That’s said a lot here, but it’s said because it’s true. Things can happen down the road that totally surprise you. People have incredibly strong spirits, and we should never give up hope.

I learned that directly from one young man who was a patient here years ago. He sustained a brain injury after a car accident, and when he first got here, he was in as bad a shape as anyone I’ve seen. Today, he’s a nurse. He invited me to his nursing school graduation, and it was such a moving experience. When he visits, he represents hope walking in the door.

Q: What drew you to a career in healthcare?

A: My mother told me that from the age of three, I told everyone I was going to be a singing nurse. Who knows what I meant? I do sing at church and I’ve been a nurse my whole career. So I guess you can say I have lived my 3-year-old self’s dream!

INTERESTING FACTS

Education:

University of Pittsburg
B.S. in Nursing

Professional Experience:

Member, Association of Rehabilitation Nursing

Parish Nurse, American Nurses Association

Fun Facts:

  • Skiing is a Greene family tradition. Gail’s Vermont-born, ski-crazy husband taught her to ski. Together, they served on the National Ski Patrol. Their kids began skiing as soon as they could walk.
  • Greene has three sons and three grandsons. “We can’t seem to make anything but boys in this family!”
  • Her father was an active-duty U.S. Army soldier. Growing up, Greene attended 13 different schools, including stints in Germany and Hawaii.
  • Her favorite place to be: “Wherever my grandchildren are…or hiking in the woods. That’s nice, too!”

Interviewed by Phillip Jordan
Photos by Louie Favorite

 

About Shepherd Center

Shepherd Center provides world-class clinical care, research, and family support for people experiencing the most complex conditions, including spinal cord and brain injuries, multi-trauma, traumatic amputations, stroke, multiple sclerosis, and pain. An elite center recognized as both Spinal Cord Injury and Traumatic Brain Injury Model Systems, Shepherd Center is ranked by U.S. News as one of the nation’s top hospitals for rehabilitation. Shepherd Center treats thousands of patients annually with unmatched expertise and unwavering compassion to help them begin again.