It’s National Nurses Week! Meet 5 of Everly Health in-house nurses
Every May, National Nurses Week is held as a way to honor the contributions, sacrifices, and compassionate care displayed by the medical professionals who keep us healthy. It annually starts on May 6 so it ends on May 12 — the birthdate of Florence Nightingale, who’s known as the mother of modern nursing.
While the history of the week is rooted in Nightingale’s pioneering legacy, it’s a chance to reflect on how that same commitment to care lives on in the impact of today’s nurses. Whether it’s fighting at the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic or advocating for the well-being of patients who need it most, it’s nurses that are at the heart of efforts of providing essential care for all.
At Everly Health, we’re lucky to have a skilled team of in-house nurses working across our organizations to ensure your experience is one of high-quality, compassionate care. To celebrate this year’s National Nurses week, we’ve gone right to the source so you can meet some of the team of hardworking Everlywell nurses, learn about their experience working in healthcare, and even what their favorite Everlywell products are.
What do you do at Everly Health? My role at Everlywell focuses on patient advocacy and consumer education. I lead webinars for customers and work closely with the marketing and customer care teams to provide and translate science into consumer friendly language.
What inspired you to get into the field of healthcare? It was more of a knowing for me and thus required very little inspiration! However, what I appreciate most about nursing especially is the intersection between medicine and taking care of people. Nursing is about recognizing all the small things it takes to care for a person. I think this holds true in all facets of healthcare but also in life. The little things are the big things!
What do you love most about your job? I love the team of fellow nurses I get to work with! Our shared understanding of the requirements in providing high quality patient care is what drives us to support consumer education and patient advocacy initiatives.
Do you have a favorite Everlywell test? Women's health has always been a passion of mine—it has led me to work with the fertility population for nearly 10 years. Our society has come so far in recognizing women's rights, but there is still so much work that needs to be done in the healthcare space with regards to gender bias and medical gaslighting. I have personally experienced how frustrating this can be. The Women's Health Test provides a major opportunity for women to empower themselves with the information they need to be their own best health advocates.
What inspired you to get into the field of healthcare? I can’t remember a specific moment or event that inspired me, but I have always had a passion for advocacy for others in need.
What do you love most about your job? I love the collaboration with the amazing team of people that I work with!
Do you have a favorite Everlywell test? I think that they all serve a purpose in their own way, but if I had to choose it would be Food Sensitivity.
What do you do at Everly Health? My primary role is to assist with providing best in class quality patient care and administrative support to the Network Management Team within Everly Health Solutions. In addition, I manage our contracted RN’s and act as a liaison between all internal teams to ensure questions/concerns are addressed for our RN contractors. My #1 goal is to ensure we are providing the best care to our patients by overseeing clinical quality assurance and operational oversight audits.
What inspired you to get into the field of healthcare? From a young age, I knew I wanted to help people in some sort of medical support role. I’ve always loved advocating for and taking care of people when it comes to health and/or sick care needs. My drive for patient advocacy is such a motivator for me. All patients deserve the support and education they need so they can make their own decisions surrounding healthcare.
What do you love most about your job? After spending most of my career in pediatric and neonatal intensive care, my life was leading me in a different direction. I wanted to do something that was still challenging but also allowed me to continue to make a difference in the lives of others. My move to Everly Health has ultimately been the best career decision I ever made. I am still allowed to be a patient advocate, something many other healthcare workers are finding more challenging. Access to healthcare can play such an important role in preventing disease and disability. At Everly Health Solutions, our mission is to enable consumer access to diagnostic testing, treatment, and professional guidance that empowers individuals to understand and improve their health and wellness. I want to be a part of this mission.
Do you have a favorite Everlywell test? I am a huge advocate of the STD/STI testing kits. There is still a great deal of social stigma surrounding STD/STI testing so it is often difficult for patients to reach out for care. Untreated STD’s/STI’s can wreak havoc on the body so allowing our patients to discreetly test in their own homes and speak to a board-certified physician for proper aftercare is something that our patients appreciate and feel comfortable with. I’ve had the opportunity to speak to many of these patients surrounding education and next steps, and not only are they grateful for this product but feel at ease and more comfortable with the process.
What do you do at Everly Health? I am a Consumer Science Liaison (CSL) on the Medical Affairs team. My day is usually never the same, but involves a mix of webinars, patient advocacy, research, and answering customer questions.
What inspired you to get into the field of healthcare? My mom is a NICU nurse and growing up I always admired her compassion for taking care of others. I couldn't decide between nursing and teaching and ultimating ended up becoming a fertility nurse, where I got to do both! My job at Everlywell (Everly Health) is a great mix of both as well, where I still get to do some patient teaching and also utilize my nursing background.
What do you love most about your job? The people that I get to work with! Definitely the best team I have been fortunate to be a part of. I work with so many intelligent and talented people and love the wealth of knowledge that is continually shared throughout the company!
Do you have a favorite Everlywell test? My background is in Women's Health and Fertility so I am partial to those tests! One of my favorite sayings is "Knowledge is Power". I love that Everlywell tests are a great first step in your personal healthcare journey and can empower you to be an advocate in your own healthcare.
What do you do at Everly Health? I oversee the Clinical Programs team under the Clinical Services department. The department is responsible for the clinical experience of the programs and tests we offer.
What inspired you to get into the field of healthcare? I have always been a caregiver and healer. What inspires me about working in healthcare is the ability to witness miracles everyday! From a lung transplant patient taking their first breath off the ventilator, to watching the start of new life when a baby is born, to seeing a patient take their first step after having a new joint placed, to seeing a patient with mental illness find peace and serenity. The miracles are endless. Nursing bears witness to many of these miracles because the science of nursing is based on CARING. Jean Watson’s Caring Science approach embraces the positive energy that comes from an integrated mind, body, and spirit. The role of the nurse is to help the patient embrace their wholeness so they are in the best position to heal themselves.
What do you love most about your job? In many ways the work I do at Everly Health follows the same principles of the science of caring. The tests and programs we create support patients in embracing their wholeness while finding their path to self-healing. I love the creativity that flows from developing and delivering clinical care in new and innovative ways. There is magic in watching it all come together. Another part of my job I LOVE is mentoring and supporting people to find the limitless power within themselves so they can let their light shine as bright as possible.
Do you have a favorite Everlywell test? Any test that can help a patient find answers to questions they are searching for is a favorite in my book. When you hear a patient testimonial about how a test changed their life, or how much a clinician impacted their life through the care we offer, it makes every test the best!