Meet Shaun, a Delegating Nurse with NeuroRestorative, a part of Sevita.

Shaun, Delegating Nurse

Inspiring possibility and purpose, that's living.

"If you want to make change in health care and the way it’s delivered,
then this is a position where you can really do that."

Tell us about your role as a Delegating Nurse.
I help coordinate and manage the care of our participants. Many times our participants see a variety of doctors, they have multiple medical things going on that need to be addressed, and because of their traumatic brain injury may not be able to communicate effectively with their doctors. So as a Delegating Nurse I look at the whole picture and coordinate the care between their many providers.


There’s also a teaching/training component to my role, which I love! We have non-clinical, non-licensed direct care professionals who care for our participants day-in and day-out. It’s important to me that our team knows how to take care of wounds, help participants with proper hygiene, and encourage them to be as independent as possible. I find that if you support and encourage direct care staff, they really excel, and that makes a big impact on the care they give our participants.


What would you tell candidates looking for a Nursing role in the company? 
There are multiple aspects to the role. It’s not your typical bedside nursing role. It lets you see a whole comprehensive picture of your client’s care and allows you to use the trainings and teachings you learned in nursing school. Like patient education. They really focus on that in nursing school. In this role, you get to use those learnings to support your interaction with patients, and help patients understand how to make good decisions for themselves and their own care. If you want to make change in health care and the way it’s delivered, then this is a position where you can really do that.


What’s your career path that led you to Sevita and this role?
I had been an ICU nurse for 7 years. My background is in critical care and trauma. I’ve also worked as a preceptor, which is getting nurses up-to-speed in their first 4 months on the job. I’ve always loved the training piece of my different roles.


"I really got behind the mission, with the focus on getting participants out in the community
and living as independently as possible."

I was attracted to the populations we serve here in NeuroRestorative because it’s a population I’m familiar with treating. Our participants are people with TBIs, spinal cord injuries, car accident and work injuries, brain tumors. When they come to us from the hospital, or from rehab into our group homes, knowing and understanding what can make a difference in their day-to-day lives is so important. 
What’s the best part about teaching team members?
Our direct care givers may not have medical experience, and it may be overwhelming coming into what is really a medical scenario. I want to share my expertise with them so they’re able to provide the very best care. When I have a direct support professional text me about something I taught them that the resident is ‘experiencing this or that’ I get so excited. I love that they’re making a connection to what I've taught them and paying attention to the details I coached them on.

"At the end of the day it’s about instilling confidence in our staff, so that they’re inspired to keep growing personally and in their careers. I see so much potential in our direct care staff,
and I like being part of their growth."

With your career journey and experiences, what kind of advice would you give your younger self?
I would tell myself that my personality wouldn’t be a hindrance in my career, and that it could make someone’s day. When we hear about successful leadership personalities, we think we need to be serious and by the book. I feel like the heartfelt encouragement and mentoring approach that’s part of my natural instinct and personality is a powerful tool and can create change. And I used to think it was a hindrance.

How does Sevita support you in your own career journey and develop you so you can reach your own career aspirations?
I’ve been here only a short time, but I’ve been a nurse for many years now, and I want to make sure I continue to have opportunities to grow and learn new things. I’ve already learned so much coming to this role, things I never knew or had seen before. I want to go back to school to become a Nurse Practitioner, and I see we’ve got a Medical Director and had at one point an Associate Medical Director. I see great value in those roles, and they’re definitely something I’m aspiring to grow into here at Sevita.
Fun Fact: I love karaoke!