Debra Dunham, California Care Center Nurse: Nurses Week is about work, family

LPN and ADON Debra Dunham has worked at California Care Center for more than 20 years. National Nurses Week for 2016 runs from May 6-12.
LPN and ADON Debra Dunham has worked at California Care Center for more than 20 years. National Nurses Week for 2016 runs from May 6-12.

One of the most popular reasons why people like living in small towns is because of the close-knit, almost family atmosphere that echoes throughout a community.

For Debra Dunham, an LPN and ADON at California Care Center, that close-knit atmosphere spreads throughout her workplace, and it's a big part of why she's spent her entire 20-year medical career there.

"I really like it at California Care Center, if not I wouldn't have been here 20-plus years," Dunham said. "I have great staff, which in turn, makes me the nurse that I am. If I didn't have them telling me things and communicating with me, then I wouldn't be able to take care of the residents as well as I can."

This Friday will signify National Nurses Week, and for Dunham it's much bigger than just the nurses. It's about the entire staff.

"It really is the aides who do a lot for us, and help us communicate and have that one-on-one with the residents."

The family-like atmosphere at California Care Center that Dunham speaks of goes far beyond the relationships between staff nurses, doctors, aides and volunteers. It also includes the residents.

"These residents come from such an interesting background and I would never know if I weren't here," she said. "I'm glad I'm part of the second chapter of their lives. We try to make it as home-like as we can, so that they enjoy the second part of their life."

Just like any family would, Dunham and the staff mourn the passings of long-term residents, but because there is a close relationship, milestones are also celebrated. Some of her favorite memories at California Care Center include 100th birthday celebrations and seeing residents reunited with loved ones.

Like many medical professionals, Dunham's venture into the field was sparked by events earlier in life. In her case, it all started on the softball field.

"I was helping coach a softball team and one of my girls got hit in the head," she said. "I instinctively knew what to do is what EMT said. They were like, 'You need to go to nursing school,' so that's what I did."

Anyone who goes into nursing is passionate about helping people, and yet, for a field where so much information is out there and accessible, it's hard to know what one is really getting into when they make the decision to be a medical professional.

In the immersive profession that is nursing, Dunham's takeaway of Nurses Week is simple. Every day brings its own new challenges, and one never stops being a nurse. In a job where many devote their lives to medical service and are on call 24/7, Nurses Week is a chance to recognize those who spend their time caring for others.

"It's to show the appreciation to the hard-working nurses that work multiple hours and have multiple physical and mental stresses," Dunham said. "We don't leave it at the door, we take it home with us."

"It's just gratifying knowing that people out there will know that nurses are very hard-working," she said.