Spotlight on Venus Stevens, registered nurse at Candler Hospital

Venus Stevens, RN
6North at Candler

Nurse since 1997; at SJ/C for almost three years

SJ/C: What made you decide to become a nurse?

I was a CNA before I became a nurse. When I took the CNA course, I knew it was just a stepping stone. I just wanted to get my feet wet. I have always known I wanted to be a nurse, even when I was a little girl. I had a brother who was a paraplegic, and I watched my mom take care of him. I would do little things to help. We grew up with her taking care of him and that made me want to take care of people. When I graduated from high school, and you write down what you want to do with your life, mine was to become a registered nurse.

SJ/C: What made you choose St. Joseph’s/Candler?

I had friends that worked here. One of my directors I was working with transferred here, and he told me how this was a great place to work. I decided to come see for myself, and it really is a great place to work. The atmosphere here is different. People are open. You see people in the hallways, and they talk to you like they’ve known you forever. People are that way because the kindness spreads throughout the facility.

SJ/C: What do you love about being a nurse?

Over the course of my 29-year nursing career, I have gained experience in dialysis, long-term care and neonatal care. With every shift, I am driven by a sincere commitment to serve and positively impact the lives of those entrusted to my care. I love the friendships that I build because you certainly build friendships with your team. You become a family. I love helping people just to see them do better. I like for my patients to be comfortable; for their family to be comfortable. To know that I have done something with my life that is meaningful not just to me but other people as well, that’s rewarding.

SJ/C: What are some of the responsibilities of a nurse on 6North at Candler Hospital?

Here on 6North, we get a variety of patients. It’s a med-surg floor, so we don’t have one certain type of patient. We get patients that range from having high blood pressure problems to kidney problems to surgical patients and a few oncology patients. If you are looking for experience, med-surg is the place to get experience. This floor allows for a nurse to get experience in a whole lot of things. One day is never like the other. You don’t know what you are going to see from day to day. At the same time, you see patients that you’ve seen before. You get a chance to get to know these patients because, unfortunately, some patients have chronic illnesses.

I also currently serve as a preceptor and genuinely enjoy mentoring others. I also represent 6North at Shared Governance each month and am an active member of our unit council.

On a personal note, I am a breast cancer survivor, and I recently celebrated my five-year survivorship milestone. Each year, I organize a breast cancer awareness effort for my teammates on the unit, using my experience and knowledge to educate others. I provide information and emphasize the importance of early detection.

SJ/C: What advice would you offer to new nurses or those considering a career in nursing?

The advice that I would give is never stop learning. You are never going to get to the point where you know all that you need to know. Always be open to learning new things and growing because things in nursing change. You are always going to have to ask questions. That’s what teamwork is about. What you don’t know, someone else may know. You have to build a rapport with your teammates and lean on each other.

Family: I have four grown children, including one who is going to college to be a nurse.
Hobbies/Interests: Active in church, which brings me great joy. I love to read and I do basket making and crafts.