JNESO

When Bob Williams started college he was pre-med, but after working in a hospital for a while he decided on a slightly different path. “I thought nursing would be a better fit for the work-life balance especially since it also focused on medicine, science and caring for people,” said Williams, RN, who earned a BSN from Wilkes University and has been a nurse since 2008. “I’ve never looked back.”

Williams, who lives in Gouldsboro, Pa., works in the Interventional Radiology department at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Pocono, providing sedation to patients during procedures and monitoring them throughout the process.

 Williams is proud of the work he does caring for his patients, but he noted that nurses don’t just care for patients; they also help families. He remembers a patient that suffered a ruptured aneurism and spent over a month in the hospital. “I got really close to the family. I did a lot of education about medications, the ventilator, and tried to ease their minds by walking them through the process and providing realistic expectations.” 

 The family was so appreciative they nominated Williams for The Daisy Foundation Award which was created to express gratitude by a family that experienced extraordinary nursing. “I felt really proud to have been an integral part of his recovery team,” said Williams.

 Williams takes his role as protector seriously and has served as steward for JNESO at LVH-P and currently holds the position of Vice President. “Being active in the union is very satisfying because you can have a means and an outlet to make real change.”

 Williams has been very active in the push for transparency and accountability for the CARES Act funding in PA, serves on an advisory council that discuses policies to direct hospital regulations and has been focused recently on pushing the “Patient Safety Act” which would establish safe nurse-to-patient staffing ratios in Pennsylvania.

 “Without proper safe staffing ratios nurses are spread too thin and don’t have the time to provide the quality of care their patients need and deserve. The research proves that proper staffing reduces infections and patient mortality and reduces burnout in nurses,” he explained.

 For Williams, nursing is much more than a job. “We really care about our patients and want to do the best for every one of them.”