If you see a nurse, say thank you! That’s the theme of National Nurses Week, a time when the whole country expresses our gratitude to our hard-working nurses. Westminster Communities of Florida is thankful to have nearly 225 nurses who are hard at work serving our residents. Their dedication to our Mission of service inspires us all.
Today, we’re highlighting the way that working for a faith-based, not-for-profit organization like Westminster Communities of Florida impacts our residents and our team members. We have team members of every background serving residents of all faiths and none, but we’re all inspired by our Mission to provide the highest-quality care and services.
How does working in a non-profit, faith-based environment affect the calling to become a nurse?
National Nurses Week:Read a personal letter of thanks from COO Garry Hennis, an interview with Kim Pagana, director of nursing at Westminster Woods on Julington Creek, and learn more about how our Scholarship Fund supports continuing education.
“What I like best is that this community is a godly place,” said Lavern Charlton, a Licensed Practical Nurse at Westminster Towers.
Charlton found that working with seniors was her calling at a young age, because she was raised by her grandmother. “I love long-term care,” she says. “I love the interaction and the consistency with the same residents. I like to have that relationship with my residents. And I enjoy what I do!”
She said she sought out working for a faith-based community after her previous experiences — and she found it at Westminster Towers. “It’s a better environment for the residents as a result,” she said, “and that has an impact on us. There are a lot of residents who used to go to church regularly, and Westminster has church services to bring their faith to them.”
“Working for Westminster means that there’s a foundation where God is and he reigns,” said Charlton.
By contrast, Nafeesa Parkins, a Licensed Practical Nurse at Westminster Suncoast, is driven by her own personal passion for caring for seniors, which dovetails with the Westminster Mission.
As a non-profit organization, Parkins said she appreciates that our communities and our team members can focus all of our efforts on providing great care for our residents. She said, “The Mission inspires my work because the outcome of my residents’ satisfaction is our foremost concern.”
Parkins received her Licensed Practical Nurse degree with the support of the Westminster Retirement Communities Foundation’s Employee Scholarship Fund, another benefit of working for a not-for-profit organization. Parkins said that she plans to enroll in school this fall to obtain her Registered Nurse degree. (Learn more about our Employee Scholarship Fund in Part III of our series.)
“Nursing is not just the word ‘nursing,’ to me,” said Parkins. “It is a passion, and you really have to have a passion for that. You have to provide your spirit around them.” She added that working at Westminster Suncoast has provided a lot of renewed passion for her work: “I work with great people! The warmth is there, and you see the dedication in your peers. There is a lot of team spirit and a lot of quality in our services.”
Throughout this week, we’ll be learning more about our nurses and why they love serving the Westminster Communities of Florida Mission. Are you interested in joining the Westminster team? Find out more — go to www.WestminsterCommunitiesFL.org/careers!
