Jessie Gardner, RN, BSN
Psychiatric and Addictions Therapeutic Healing Services (PATHS)
Happy with Pardee since 2005
Where are you from?
Black Mountain, NC
Why did you choose to work in health care?
Growing up with little made me more aware of the value of helping others. Often times, all I could give was kindness, and I wanted to continue to do that into my adult life. Taking care of others makes my life worthwhile.
My desire to help others called me to nursing, and I chose my clinical specialty for even more personal reasons. Psychiatry was particularly important to me because of my personal history of depression and anxiety.
What does a typical workday look like for you?
A typical day in the life of a Psychiatric/Addictions RN is very different from other units. We start our days by checking in with patients’ mental/physical well-being. We take time to complete Suicide Prevention Plans with our patients, listen, and encourage new and effective coping strategies to assist with anxiety. We lead groups ranging from healing activities to medication education, to goals groups. We participate in treatment team meetings with the widest variety of therapies in the hospital. We address clients' needs for survival and provide support in decision making. We perform Electro Convulsive Therapy on select patients in the OR. We monitor patients medically for withdrawal and treat their symptoms accordingly. We can be called at any time to assist staff on other units with behaviorally acute patients. What is so amazing about working on PATHS is that each day is different. I see patients go from the lowest point in their lives to feeling worthy of life, happiness and sobriety.
What do you enjoy most about working at Pardee?
Pardee is like home to me. I visited multiple hospitals within the area during my nursing clinical rotations, and had never felt more welcomed than when I visited Pardee. The staff here know and respect each other. Employees at Pardee are beaming with pride and you can often see doctors with environmental services staff at lunch, or dietary staff with spiritual care staff. That is a feeling of belonging that I value at Pardee.
One of the things that I enjoy most is helping patients through some of their darkest moments and seeing them emerge hopeful, and with a new sense of purpose. It is an amazing feeling.
What is a surprising fact about yourself?
I am a photographer outside of work.
I am also involved with mental health awareness initiatives in the community. I am dedicated to help diminish bullying and suicide amongst school-aged children and adolescents. Through Pardee, I have been able to speak to several schools and after-school programs to assist in the prevention of both.
