'They Have My Heart' – Avera Nurse Explains Bond with Mental Health Patients

While Susan Tupy, RN, enjoyed the many roles she’s had in her 21 years of nursing, she feels like she’s fully arrived in her current job as a bedside nurse for senior behavioral health patients.

“I’m in the best place for me professionally, with a patient group that requires passion and kindness on the soul level,” said Tupy said, who works in the Senior Inpatient Program at Avera Behavioral Health Hospital in Sioux Falls. “We treat people mostly 65 and older, and the challenges are many. But we’re never alone – we work together to help them.”

It’s a place that’s welcoming, calming, and healing with special considerations for safety and comfort for patients with Alzheimer’s disease, dementia and other conditions people might experience as they grow older.

“For some patients, medications may not help,” Tupy said. “We provide care to keep things from worsening. We guide them toward baselines that allow them to reach a next, best stage.”

Working nights in a role with many trials during each shift, Tupy and her teammates care for one another as well. “We make sure no one is ever alone or feels like they’re out in the boonies or lost,” Tupy said. “We don’t judge each other when mistakes occur – they’re fixable. Anyone might feel panic or fear – we’ve all been there. That’s why I love my team.”

Trying Many Roles in a Nursing Career

Tupy’s journey to the second floor of the Helmsley Behavioral Health Center is one filled with nursing experiences across South Dakota. She went back to school to earn her RN certification when she 39, raising two sons as a single mom. Tupy wanted experience – and sought it out.

“I applied for and got hired at a 12-bed hospital, where as RNs, we did a little bit of everything, from ER to peds to medical and surgical shifts,” she said. “It keeps you on your toes and builds your skills.”

While at that facility, she learned about Avera, and landed a role as a travel nurse. “I loved it – it taught me so much, so fast,” Tupy added. Her roles varied along with locations, with time spent in Yankton, Pierre, on Indian reservations and in Sioux Falls. She worked in mental health as well as primary care, in clinic settings, as a school nurse and in long-term care.

For her, nursing is all about trying things and finding your niche.

“When I joined this unit, it really was a life-changing thing for me,” she said. “I’m serious when I say that – there’s nothing like it I have experienced.”

How Strong Nursing Culture Helps with the Toughest Times

For Tupy, the many career-developing opportunities she’s had, the competitive pay and benefits and the flexibility for time off are great Avera staples.

“The mission is a big thing for me and our team, especially the openness of prayer,” she said. “Praying with our patients is vital.” She said she also prays with her teammates.

“The mission is why I’m staying,” she added. Nursing, no matter the area of focus, can test anyone’s skill and resolve.

“We have nurses who have a decade more experience than me, and we have newer nurses on our team,” she said. “I know when I meet younger nurses, I sometimes reflect on the lessons they’re learning.”

Tupy said no RN avoids fear, panic and uncertainty. “You have to be scared sometimes, and it’s OK,” she said. “Burnout is a real thing in a career that asks a lot from you.” When she sees someone who might be overwhelmed, she tries to lift them up.

“You have to be your best to give the best care,” she said. She said the Avera Employee Assistance Program and leadership add to the system to let nurses give the best possible care.

Support from Nursing Leaders

“Our team self-schedules, and our manager makes sure we all get the time we need to take off,” said Tupy. Patients are priority, but her team is willing to flex to help one another, whether that involves picking up an extra shift or trading schedules to give a teammate a chance to see a ballgame, go on a trip or just relax.

“People imagine nurses as tough – but we’re human, and we need to rest, to recharge, just like anyone else,” she said. “Our leaders know that.” She said a single phone call can lead to help coming from managers or clinical leaders – and that concern comes without judgment.

“We back each other up, no matter what,” she said. “I’m blessed to have such a good team. I feel I’ve found my niche.”

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