Our Registered Nurses Rule!

Getting to Know Crossroads’ Top Field Nurses

National Nurses Month was created by the American Nurses Association along with “May 6: National Recognition Day for Nurses” back in 1982. Both were an extension of National Nurses Week, which was proclaimed by President Richard Nixon in 1974.

According to the career web site Zippia, there are more than 1.5 million hospice registered nurses in America.

Introducing Case Manager Melissa Woods, RN

Her calm and soothing manner is something Case Manager Melissa Woods, RN is known for by both patients and their families and other Crossroads team members. It’s also what steered her towards hospice nursing upon the recommendation of her mother, a longtime aide.

After a successful career in cardiac nursing on a hospital unit and then as a nurse supervisor and nurse manager, Melissa was seeking “a change in pace.”

Spurred by her Mom’s plug, she began looking into hospice nursing. She read about Crossroads’ Even More Care (EMC) program and tapped other sources for information about hospice nursing and decided to give it a try. That was seven years ago.

Melissa has been dedicated to families as the frontline coordinator of patients’ clinical and spiritual needs while supporting and educating families on the “journey of the dying process” ever since.

With her extremely sharp emotional intelli-gence and deep proven clinical experience, Melissa leads difficult end-of-life conversations with families in a highly professional and appro-priate manner while coordinating all aspects of patients’ clinical care and social support services.

When she’s not on the job, Melissa enjoys spending time with her children, her animals and her boyfriend.