Heather Satterlee - The Small Steps to Better Health

Hometown:Onancock, Va. 

In Richmond region:2000

Family:Husband Terry; son Alex, 2

Became an RN:2015

Employer: Bon Secours Richmond Community Hospital

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As nurses, we measure progress in tiny steps. 

Our jobs can sometimes be overwhelming, given the scope and intensity of our profession. And while there’s much to be said for all that we contribute to the greater good, we also celebrate little things: the successful end of a challenging shift, laughter from a patient who has been in pain, and, yes, a patient who’s finally able to make things happen in the bathroom.

As trivial as such small victories may sometimes seem, they are measurable progress that ultimately results in healing.

I got into the field of nursing after a long period of not knowing what direction I was headed. I moved to Richmond for a biology degree at Virginia Commonwealth University in 2000, but it wasn’t until years later, when a nurse suggested I consider this path, that I realized that nursing is about much more than anatomy and physiology. While healing is the outcome we all work hard to reach, it’s the little things that get you there.

As part of a medical-surgical nursing team at Richmond Community Hospital, we see a wide range of conditions, from heart failure to diabetes. I like working one-on-one with patients to teach them skills they can accomplish themselves. Even something small can make a big difference and allows patients to take charge of their destiny. 

For example, I often try to teach diabetes patients how to stick themselves. Many have never given themselves a shot and are reluctant to try. Once I explain to them how to do it, the best technique is to jump right in and get it over with. The anticipation is worse than the stick. It’s such a simple step, but it’s a priceless skill to learn. 

We get a lot of nursing students at our hospital. And with them we measure improvement little-by-little. When a student-nurse accomplishes something we consider routine, such as drawing blood from a patient, you can see that light bulb come on. It’s an achievement that happens time and again, but it’s always a cause for celebration.

Sometimes those tiny breakthroughs make amazing things possible. During the early days of the pandemic, when visitation wasn’t allowed, many family members, especially older ones, learned how to use technology to be at the bedside of their loved ones.

Truly, the technology that we adopted during the pandemic has been a game-changer. Now we see doctors through screens. It’s funny. The pandemic isolated us, but we’re now more connected than ever, making it easier for us to make progress – one small step at a time.