JNESO

“I never had any interest in doing anything else, I always wanted to be a nurse,” said Vicki Casey, RN, of Bellmawr, N.J.  “Luckily it was the right fit!”

Vicky has been a nurse for 30 years and has spent the past 27 years in the Mother-Baby unit caring for parents and newborns at Virtua Hospital in Voorhees, N.J.

Her role of helping others started in high school with a job at a local nursing home where she really enjoyed interacting with the patients and being able to help others.  “When I graduated from nursing school, I wanted excitement and was headed towards more trauma nursing, but then I decided I wanted to do something more with families and safety, so I went to Mother-Baby and it was the perfect fit,” she explained.

Helping new parents work through the changes that a baby brings to their life is her passion.  “It involves a lot of education, especially for first-time parents.  We only have a few days to get them feeling comfortable with this new little person,” explained Vicki.  “It is so rewarding to see parents transition from being afraid to hold or change a baby, to being comfortable doing it themselves – even if they are still nervous—and be ready to go home a day or two later and care for the baby on their own.”

She teaches parents both in the hospital and through baby basics classes.  “I love helping new parents.  I am the one holding their hand when they are scared or anxious, listening to them, giving advice and supporting them.”

One of the words of wisdom she always makes sure to pass along: Don’t forget to care about yourself.  “I remind them that it is ok to feel overwhelmed at first, but they have to focus on taking care of their needs too, not just the baby.”

When Vicki isn’t working with parents, she spends time volunteering for her hospital “family” as Vice President of the JNESO local at Virtua. 

“I like seeing both sides of the issues, working with management and finding common ground to improve workplace issues for nurses.  Having a union is important because we make sure that nurses can speak up and fight for things they believe in and that their rights and licenses are protected,” remarked Vicki.  “We have become a family and we have your back, if you have a problem JNESO will help you get through it.”

The past few years have been difficult for nurses around the country, but Vicki isn’t deterred. “I say keep doing what you love and try to stay positive. Just remember why you went into nursing – it’s the patients – and the majority of patients really do appreciate and thank us, and that is very rewarding.”