In recognition of May as National Nurses Month, Horizon House will be introducing you to a few of our Agency’s outstanding nurses who use their extensive skills to help keep our participants healthy, safe and thriving.
Today, we’d like you to meet Victoria, a Registered Nurse at Old Baltimore Pike, a group home in Delaware that serves individuals who have been diagnosed with mental illnesses.
How would you describe Old Baltimore Pike and the work you do there as a Registered Nurse?
“We’re a group home and we currently serve six participants who have been diagnosed with severe and persistent mental illness. I help the participants here manage a lot of things and manage their essential day-to-day needs. I work with them on their mental health symptoms, collaborate with their psychiatrists, manage medications, answer any physical health concerns and really do anything else I can to help them meet their personal recovery goals. Because that’s what we’re here for – to help them achieve goals they may have thought were out of reach.
“I act as an advocate as well. I sit with participants through most, if not all, of their appointments and help relay symptoms and what they have been feeling. Anything that can help the participants advance their recoveries to the next level, that’s what I do.”
What attracted you to the field of psych nursing and to Horizon House in particular?
“When I was in school and then coming out of school, I always knew psych nursing was what I wanted to do. I wasn’t too keen on the inpatient world and I just felt like the psych world was where I could truly make a difference as a nurse. I actually started as a psych major in school before switching to nursing, but that interest never left. I’ve always had that desire to help the mental health community and break that negative stigma around it.
“Horizon House is the perfect place to do that and the perfect place for me. I felt that when I interviewed here. I actually interviewed for a position on a different Horizon House team in Delaware but even then I felt like this was the right spot for my professional goals. Working with these participants and in this community is so rewarding to me. We develop strong therapeutic relationships with participants and those bonds don’t go away. It’s a great feeling to see them progress and achieve their goals and you know you helped them along the way.”
What would you say to a nurse who may be considering the psych field but isn’t sure yet?
“The honest truth is that it definitely takes a certain type of person to be able to do this kind of work. You can’t come into this with those stigmas or preconceived notions of mental health. Come into this with an open mind and really get to know the people you serve because they really are great people who just need our help.”
What has been the most special part of being a nurse at Horizon House?
“You make lasting bonds here with participants and those are truly special. There is an incredible environment of collaboration here at Horizon House. Nurses, participants, clinicians, psychiatrists, admin staff – we all work together as one to reach goals. And all us, we all work together to help participants reach their goals. The environment to succeed professional and personally is here.”
Interested in a rewarding nursing career at Horizon House? You can view our openings here: https://www.hhinc.org/career-opportunities/