JNESO

“Duct tape doesn’t usually top the list of things you think about when talking about a career in nursing, unless you are Christopher Dela Cruz of Saylorsburg, Pa.

“I was in fifth grade and my friend and I were outside playing basketball when he suddenly fell and really scraped up his hands. Both my mom and dad are nurses but they weren’t home, so I went in the house, got a bunch of paper towels, hand sanitizer, and duct tape,” said Dela Cruz. “I remember telling him to hold his breath because the hand sanitizer would hurt  -- and it did – and I wrapped up his wound really scrappily.”

That, vivid memory marked the unofficial start of his nursing journey, one he recalled didn’t happen overnight but blossomed over time. “My parents used to take me to work and I would get to shadow them, and then I spent a lot of time as a teenager volunteering at hospitals both St. Luke’s and Lehigh Valley Hospital – Pocono. When I was doing career finding classes and take those surveys, nursing always came up as the top one or two choices, so it became something I decided to strive for.”

Dela Cruz, who is 23, earned his Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 2022 from East Stroudsburg University but noted that attending remotely during the pandemic was challenging at times.  “Because of COVID restrictions they had to take a step back from clinical training, and that is where I gained the most experience by entering rooms on the floor and actually seeing patients. It was a big adjustment, but we finally got to do the rotations in our final year.”

Dela Cruz currently works as an RN in the Cardiovascular Telemetry unit at LVH-P.  “After my clinicals and rotations, I got to know the staff and the flow of the unit. My mom worked in a similar unit, and I knew it would really challenge me to use and develop my skills as a new nurse.”

Helping others has always been important to him, but now it has taken on a deeper meaning. “Patients are usually not the best versions of themselves when I see them, but it is really gratifying to be there for them to help get them through what can be a tough situation and give them hope.” He added, “Those are the moments that make you say ‘wow, I really made an impact.”

Dela Cruz is also a member of JNESO the local union that represents nurses at his hospital. “I love being a part of a team and JNESO is like a team that serves nurses to make sure we have a voice and can work together to perform our jobs under the best conditions and in the best way possible.”

Although new to nursing, he recognizes the stresses that many of his colleagues have been under. “I would like to say ‘thank you’ and keep going strong! We will go through tough moments throughout the day, but we are working together to make an impact on the community as long as we stay strong we will push through and change lives!”