
National Nurses Month Recognition
Saluting Two More Top Field Nurses
This May in every EvenMORE For You edition we are showcasing outstanding hospice field nurses from each site. Today we are highlighting Case Manager Devennse Barnes, RN, NP of Crossroads in Memphis and QRT Nurse Marlene Spivey, RN of Crossroads in Philadelphia.
Introducing Case Manager Devennse Barnes, RN, NP
Affectionately known as Dee, Devennse Barnes, RN, NP has been a model of hospice nursing success and career advancement ever since she joined Crossroads as a registered nurse in Memphis several years ago.
During that time Dee increased her credentials by becoming a hospice Nurse Practitioner and she excels every day on the job. Educating and supporting families as they navigate a loved one’s end-of-life care is one of her specialties. “This is one of the most vulnerable times for a family,” Dee said. “I’m there to help.”
Prior to joining Crossroads Dee was a nursing supervisor at a skilled long-term care facility for many years. It was there that she observed a Crossroads hospice nurse on the job. “She (the Crossroads nurse) really took time to care for the patient and listen to the family,” Dee said. The Crossroads nurse also took time to support and build relationships with the long-term care facility’s nurses and staff, a welcome extension of their team, according to Dee.
Joining Crossroads was a winning move for Dee. While becoming a hospice nurse was excellent for her career, Dee says she is a perfect match for Crossroads because of our “philosophy of being at the bedside at the time of death.” She is very proud of this position remembering nurses from other hospices at the long-term care facility leaving with the words, “just call me when they pass.”
“One of my most memorable moments at Crossroads came when a patient and his family expressed a heartfelt final wish to be baptized before passing,” Dee shared. The patient’s desire became his Gift of a Day. Dee worked closely with the family and the hospice care team to ensure that the patient’s desire was filled with dignity and reverence. “It is a moment I will always carry as it also symbolizes what it means to walk beside someone at the end of their life with honor, grace and compassion,” Dee said.
This is a holistic approach that sets Crossroads apart. Dee said Crossroads is all about “compassion” and being there for the patient and the family and that suits her just fine.
Introducing QRT Nurse Marlene Spivey, RN
Even though she’s been a nurse for more than 40 years, Marlene Spivey, RN only recently became a hospice nurse when she joined Crossroads in Philadelphia about a year ago.
As a member of the QRT (Quick Response Team) Marlene feels like she’s landed her dream position. Joining Crossroads and specializing in end-of-life care nursing was “a very good decision,” she said.
Marlene works from 8:00 P.M. to 8:30 A.M. managing all kinds of “after hours” work including being at the bedside for a patient’s attended death, managing an emergent patient or seeing through any necessary clinical work started during the day and in need of completion or follow up. According to Marlene, she’s all about “keeping everything moving” forward.
Marlene has always been very empathetic. “Even as a child I always wanted to help people,” she said. She was also an avid reader who devoured books about nursing (and horses) as a teenager. What started in her youth led to a successful 43-year nursing career that included critical care, long-term care nursing and many years working for a home infusion company.
Marlene believes all that experience contributes to her newfound success as a hospice nurse at Crossroads where she “loves the team environment” and being a member of an integrated care team that also includes chaplains, social workers, bereavement specialists, volunteer managers, hospice aides, physicians and other nurses all working together for patients and their families.
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