Helen Zimmerman, BSN, RN, NPD-BC, Nursing Professional Development, Blessing Hospital, retired on July 1 after 29 years of service.
Helen’s connection with Blessing took root long before she was hired as a nurse. It started in the late 1970s when she was hired in Blessing’s Early Learning Center - then known as Child Care. After a couple of years in the Early Learning Center, Helen’s husband, Wayne, went into the Air Force and they left Quincy.
Fast forward to 1993, the Zimmermans returned to Quincy and Helen was rehired by the Blessing Early Learning Center and started her path toward a nursing career at the same time, with Blessing’s help.
“I had always intended to go to nursing school right out of high school,” Helen said. “That just didn’t work out. So returning to Blessing was a good opportunity. They have such a good educational assistance program. It’s hard to pass up.”
Helen worked full-time, studied nursing full-time and cared for her family full-time, including two pre-teen children.
She completed her licensed practical nurse education and earned an Associate Degree in Nursing from John Wood Community College. Later, Helen would earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from Blessing-Rieman College of Nursing and Health Sciences. She also holds national certification in Nursing Professional Development.
Helen’s nursing career began in Blessing Hospital’s Critical Care Area. She then transferred to Surgery, where she served on the team that created Blessing’s open-heart surgery program – an accomplishment in which she takes great pride. Helen spent the last 16 years of her nursing and Blessing career in Educational Services, now known as Nursing Professional Development, teaching nurses and other clinical staff.
She was also involved with the Blessing Hospital Training Center teaching American Heart Association basic and advanced life support courses to Blessing staff and other community health care providers. In addition, Helen was a Teaching Center faculty member who trained new instructors to teach the basic and advanced life support courses.
Helen finds teaching “extremely rewarding”. Her main lesson has not changed over the years.
“When you walk into a patient’s room, that patient must feel they are your only patient; that you are not stressed about other issues, other patients, about anything else going on. They are your primary focus,” she said.
Helen says maintaining that focus is as challenging when she cared for her first patient as it is today, and equally as important.
She is grateful for her career at Blessing.
“Since the 1970’s, I have seen Blessing grow and change. It’s been a wonderful place to work,” Helen said. “As much as Blessing cares about its patients, it cares about its employees. It’s only getting better as staff become more involved in decision-making and making a difference.”
“I’ve developed many friendships. Blessing is like family. That has not changed since the 1970s,” she concluded.