Nurses Week - Tammy Machen

All of our nurses are special to us, and they don’t just work in our hospitals. Some of the most extraordinary nurses in the business work outside of our hospitals in departments like Home Health and Hospice. And that doesn’t mean that they are any less appreciated or loved.

Tammy Machen, a Home Health nurse at Citizens Baptist, took the time to speak with us about her job and journey to becoming a nurse in Home Health.

What do you like about being a nurse?

I enjoy all of it. I enjoy taking care of the patients and interacting with patients and families. Knowing that we are making a difference makes it worthwhile.

Home health nurse- what do you do?

I’m currently in the quality division, but I used to be case manager. Before that I was a primary care nurse where I oversaw a number of patients. I made sure that my patients had the medications that they need and made sure that they are able to take care of themselves at home and not return to the hospital. That’s the main goal of a home health nurse.

Why did you become a nurse?

I never wanted to be a nurse growing up. The opportunity came to me to get a nursing assistant position at the hospital and I decided to try it. To my surprise, I loved it and worked my way up from there. I became a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) in 1993 and a Registered Nurse (RN) in 2007.

What is your favorite thing about working at Citizens?

I’ve been working for Citizens for 25 years. It’s a wonderful place to work and very family oriented. It’s a smaller community, which means that families and patients trust you. They’ll see you on the street and they know who you are and say hello. It’s nice to be able to work somewhere like that.

Do you have any stories that have stuck with you throughout the years?

We had one patient who was a cancer patient that had some reconstructive surgery. We went to help her once she went home, and while she was reluctant at first, she eventually began to open up to us. It has been such a joy to see her progress, and to comfort her when she worry she would never heal and seeing her joy when she did. That joy I’ve seen with her makes it worth it. Even though she doesn’t need us anymore, she still sends us messages.

My joy is taking care of someone and seeing the results at the end.

What should we know about nurses?

I wish everyone would see the compassion that nurses have. When nurses are at work in the hospital and home, they tend to not be as open. But that doesn’t mean we don’t care; quite the opposite actually. We care so much. Nursing is very much a compassionate job.

I wish people knew that every day we come to work, our goal is to take care and improve their life.

Do you have any advice for someone who wants to become a nurse?

Go into it with your eyes wide open. There’s a lot of information to learn and you have to be willing to accept all of the challenges that come with being a nurse. It’s not just being able to take care of the patients, it’s being able to comprehend and understand what you’re learning.

Nursing is a learning experience every day. You’re going to learn every day, way past your 2-4 years in college. I’m still learning and I’ve been at it a long time! Nursing is wonderful, and every day is something new.