Employment Opportunities
Nursing Spotlight: Erwin, RN, Behavioral Medicine
"The Betterment and Recovery of the Patient Is the First and Foremost Responsibility"
In the midst of Erwin’s college studies in architecture, his father opened a residential care facility for developmentally disabled people. Since Erwin’s oldest brother has cerebral palsy, his father saw this endeavor as a way to help his son and, at the same time, provide a much-needed service for the community.
Erwin worked with his father to set up the facility, then he helped run it for two years. During that time, he realized that his true passion in life was helping mentally challenged people. So he switched his major to nursing, earning a degree in 1995 and working as a mental health nurse in other hospitals for several years before coming to White Memorial in May 2002.
As a charge nurse in White Memorial’s Behavioral Medicine Department, Erwin leads a team of mental health professionals who deal with the most gravely disabled psychiatric patients — men and women who must be checked on every 15 minutes and require assistance for even their most basic needs.
“We do the best we can to stabilize them and get them back to the community,” Erwin said. “Our focus is on the administration of medication, group meetings, close observation and just giving them the time they need to recover.”
As charge nurse, Erwin has a wide range of responsibilities: helping to create an individualized treatment plan for each patient, assessing each patient every day to determine his or her response to treatment, talking with patients’ physicians to coordinate care, helping to ensure that patients take their prescribed medications, making recommendations for changes in treatment or medication, monitoring patients’ physical health, communicating with family members, overseeing group treatment sessions, working with social workers to ensure that appropriate follow-up is available for patients after they leave the hospital, and much more.
Erwin said that his physically and mentally demanding job is made more pleasant by the relaxing and enjoyable environment created by the staff on his unit. He said he also appreciates White Memorial’s focus on patients.
“What I notice here is the conscientious attitude toward helping the client get better,” he said. “The betterment and recovery of the patient is the first and foremost responsibility here, and it is a priority of this hospital.”
When he’s not working a 12-hour shift at the hospital, Erwin enjoys sports and especially looks forward to being with Sandra, his wife of six years who is a labor and delivery nurse at another hospital, and his three children.
“I enjoy spending time with my kids,” he said. “That’s really my relief from all the stressful situations here at work. They are my pride and joy.”
Along with being very, very knowledgeable about his job, Erwin is a great leader and an excellent team player. Although he is busy as a charge nurse, his skills in time management allow him to remain involved in direct patient care. He displays a very calm demeanor with patients and their family members, as well as his fellow staff.
— Sybil Cross, PhD, ANP, RN, Behavioral Medicine, South B Unit, Educator
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