Hazel Snead - Still Learning 35 Years In

Family: Husband Donnie; children Hayden, Olivia and Abigail

Year you became an RN: 1989

Current employer: Circle Center Adult Day Services

--

Nursing is about much more than treating illnesses and injuries. Often being a caregiver means finding and addressing unanticipated needs.

I came from a true caregiver. My grandmother, who I’m named after, inspired both my sister and me to become nurses, just like she was. She didn’t go to nursing school. Back then you got into nursing through training and work experience. But she was a caregiver in every sense of the word – for her patients, friends and family.

For the first part of my career, I worked with babies at a neonatal intensive care unit. I learned quickly that nursing requires we not only address a patient’s immediate needs, but that we also step back and look at the big picture.

We once treated a baby with a chronic condition who spent more than a year in the hospital. His mother had four other children at home, so we had to step in and be his hospital foster parents. Eventually it was time for him to leave, but his home did not have the equipment required to handle his special needs. My husband, who worked in electrical sales, managed to get his company to donate the materials and found electricians to get the baby settled.

Now I work at Circle Center Adult Day Services, and there’s just as much need for thoughtful, deliberate compassion when people are facing challenges at the other side of life. 

I clearly remember one day when a man was dropped off by his daughter. It was a day he happened to be extremely agitated and angry, which is common when people suffer from dementia. When I went to get him out of the car, he grabbed my hand and held it so tight it made me nervous. We walked to his seat in silence. 

Then, he looked me straight in the eye, and he was clear for just that second, and he said, “Thank you.” I think about him often, and it’s a good reminder that the little things you do for people make a big difference.

When people are in pain, there are often treatments that can be administered. But there are some things medications will never replace – conversation, holding a hand, letting people know that they are loved and respected. 

I’m still learning how to be a nurse after almost 35 years. I’m inspired by a patient I would see when I did private home care before the pandemic. She was 102 years old and she taught me so much. She learned to be a competitive swimmer in adulthood, and she learned to use technology late in life. She taught me that you’re never too old to learn. Every day brings new lessons that can’t be found in a textbook.