It’s Thursday morning and it’s time for one child’s respiratory care.
The task is a critical one for many of the students at the Anne Carlsen Center (ACC). Care of the respiratory system is often the first line of defense against illnesses and viruses that could have a negative affect in the lives of these children and young adults. Beginning the process with a chest physiotherapy machine, Registered Nurse Leann Gumke is about to help a child breathe easier.
“I really enjoy helping the students every day,” said Leann. “We are able to help them because we understand them.”
Leann dons the proper attire for the task – putting on a disposable gown, gloves and mask. She does a twirl after tying down the gown, much to the delight of the child she is sashaying for. After the gloves, comes the mask. She puts it on, but before tying it into place, Leann kneels down, pulls the mask down and demonstrates how it works. The mask has two parts: a plastic shield that rises from above the nose to over the top of her head, and an opaque paper component that covers her nose and tucks under her chin.
Revealing the face behind the mask unleashes a beaming smile across the face of the seven-year-old girl, as the child recognizes her care provider.
“You get to know a lot of the kids’ individual personalities,” said Leann. “You learn their likes and dislikes. Each child becomes a person who you are really comfortable with.”
Throughout the procedure, a conversation is taking place. Leann asks the young girl if she has put her sights on a nap similar to the one she took the day before. Noting another smile on the girl’s face, Leann talks about which of her own naps is the best. She’s a natural. It is hard to remember this is all a learned skill.
“(At the Anne Carlsen Center) we have a respiratory therapist who trains us. I think I’ve gotten pretty good at some of the respiratory skills and ventilating,” said Leann. “At many facilities, they usually have just one full-time therapist that does that one job.”
Leann says the opportunity to learn a variety of new skills has been a real enjoyable part of her young career. She is entrusted with the care of the health of the students and will take on any task to ensure these individuals can go about their daily routines without complication.
Leann has always been around health care. Because of the lessons from her childhood, her adulthood is all about providing caring and personal healthcare for another person.
As a child, Leann’s mother had been a Registered Nurse (RN) in her home community of Max, N.D. In those pre-HIPAA days, her mother’s clients would often invite the family into their homes. Leann got a first-hand look at healthcare from a young age, and those experiences stuck with her as she grew older.
Leann came to Jamestown in 2002 after enrolling in the four-year nursing program at Jamestown College. She also began working as a Life Skills Assistant with the Center. One of the benefits of working at ACC was the opportunity to advance in her college studies. Part of the nursing program’s requirements is to become certified as a Certified Nursing Assistant. The Center helped her fulfill that requirement.
“I really didn’t know anything about the Center going in,” said Leann. “I was looking at getting a job while going to school and had more interest in pediatrics than geriatrics.”
The Anne Carlsen Center creates a fun working environment that can offer flexibility in an employees’ daily routine. ACC provides compatible work schedules for college students or people who are working in another job, as well as individuals looking for a traditional work schedule. In the Center’s nursing department, RNs and LPNs who have obtained a Perkins loan for schooling can have that money forgiven by working at the Center.
Leann graduated from Jamestown College and applied for an RN position with the Center. Having her join the nursing department was an easy decision.
“Leann is an extremely professional nurse with excellent clinical skills,” said ACC Nursing Director Bette Johnson. “She exemplifies the values of our department: quality, caring and integrity.”
Having never officially worked in healthcare, there were challenges to overcome that are associated with every health-related job. But after a few months, Leann had become engrossed in life at the Center. There were challenges she could overcome through her experiences and with collaboration with staff.
“I became a lot more comfortable,” said Leann. “It was very interesting – working with the students and staff, and all of the different cares we provide here.”
j“After the first year, I had fallen in love with the job,” added Leann. “The reason is the kids.”
A Different Kind of Care
Getting to know the students was one of the first priorities as an LSA. Today she finds that background helpful as she works to keep each student in tip-top shape.
“As an LSA, you spend a lot of time with the students, completing their programming objectives,” said Leann. “As a nurse that time is spent keeping students healthy and caring for them. You care for more students at one time, but that one-on-one care is still there.”
The individuals the Center serves often require some of the most specialized services in the state. It is the nursing staff’s challenge to take every task that comes their way, and keep the students smiling.
“You see many situations here you’ll never see anywhere else,” said Leann. “And it is a good place to keep up on all of your basic skills. There is a variety of diagnosis and cares the kids receive – in nursing care and all other aspects related to their care.”
The respiratory session is completed and the process has produced smiles and stories. It is a good Thursday morning that will go a long way toward ensuring a fun and eventful Thursday afternoon.
