Living and Working the Mission - Phoebe Duran

“I always feel supported”

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Being a Nurse Manager at Catholic Health’s St. Francis Hospital & Heart Center® means being there for your patients as well as your colleagues. It’s an all-in role, requiring an enormous amount of focus and dedication. Phoebe Duran, RN, knows the territory all too well.

“As a nurse manager you are often required to wear many hats, but resilience is key to successfully fulfilling all roles,” says Phoebe. “Catholic Health has a very definite culture of caring—for our patients and for each other. The ultimate goal of each shift is to address each patient’s needs—emotionally, mentally and physically.”

The needs of patients are often deeper than their diagnosis, according to Phoebe. “You can’t help but bond with your patients; it’s just part of nursing, especially bedside care. I’ve served as a primary nurse to Stage 4 cancer patients, hospice patients, etc., who just need a hand to hold, a shoulder to cry on, and an ally to navigate a difficult path.”

For patients who will be in the hospital for some time, Phoebe and her team do what they can to make the patient’s stay a bit more homey—like bringing in flowers or decorations, or making time to sit and talk during breakfast or tea. “You make time, you listen, you show you care. It’s part of the healing process. It’s part of what we do.”

Since joining St. Francis as a Clinical Nurse in 2019, Phoebe’s been promoted to Charge Nurse, then Assistant Manager, and subsequently Nurse Manager. She says that St. Francis Hospital is more than a workplace. It’s her family.

“Honestly, it’s like a second home for me. My team and I come together each day to serve our patients to the best of our ability. Senior leadership supports each member of the care team,” says Phoebe. “I remember how our Chief Nursing Officer, Ann Cella, knew me by name within a few weeks of my joining St. Francis. That type of recognition and support doesn’t happen at other hospitals.” 

To nursing graduates who are beginning their careers, Phoebe strongly recommends Catholic Health. “From the moment I got here I felt positive energy. We are as attentive to each patient’s emotional needs as we are to their medical needs,” says Phoebe. She adds a bit of frankness, “No one really wants to be in the hospital. We understand that and do all we can to make the experience as comfortable and as reassuring as we can.”

 

Clearly, Nurse Manager Phoebe Duran, RN, exemplifies patient care the Catholic Health way.

 

Want to join the team? Apply at jobs.chsli.org

Read more Living and Working the Mission stories.