Career inspiration comes in many forms. Avera nurse Patrick Casey, RN, found his inspiration during a close friendship in school. Now he nurses patients receiving nephrology and transplant care, and he feels he’s honoring a late friend while serving others.
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“Hannah was nice to everyone, she was never upset and I think that’s what drew me to be her friend,” said Casey. “We were on the golf team together. She was just so calm all the time. Never got upset.”
He refers to Hannah Green, who was 12 years old and golfing with him when he was 14. They were classmates in Marion, SD. Though she moved to another town he heard later she was sick and admitted to pediatric ICU.
The 14-year-old did not recover. Yet she lived on because she and her family said “yes” to the idea of organ donation. A number of her vital organs went to patients who needed them to live.
“The donation was just a great example of who Hannah was,” Casey said. “She saved a bunch of lives. It made me think about my own life.”
His friend’s legacy lives on in him as well as the people her organs saved. “I started college for nursing, and the time I spent on transplant floors – it did make me think of her,” said Casey. “Now I’m part of a team that ensures gifts of life work. It’s amazing to see it in person.”
Learning Nursing and Applying Life Lessons to a Career Choice
Casey spent time at Avera McKennan Hospital & University Health Center as a student nurse, learning about nephrology and transplant care modalities. He graduated from the University of South Dakota.
“It was a good fit for me,” he said.
I got to experience a variety of nursing units, both at Avera and elsewhere, and there was just a welcoming nature to that team. They seemed willing to teach me things and include me.
Just 23, Casey is a new nurse. His team at Avera McKennan helps him every day. “We have great leaders and unit educators,” he said. “I’m not yet certified, but I’m getting cross-training and exposure to so many things, from chemotherapy and oncology nursing to solid-organ transplant care.”
He said much of it is one on one, with experienced nurses guiding him as he develops more skill.
Casey’s nurse manager said he’s on his way to good work in health care.
“He shows the compassion and empathy every day, and he’s a sponge to learn more things about his profession,” said Karen Miller, RN, BSN, OCN, a nurse manager at Avera McKennan. “He’s already earning a lot of praise from patients and you can tell he wants challenges and is ready to learn more, every day.”
Casey is working toward certification in a number of roles in his work, including solid organ transplant and oncology nursing.
A New RN’s Advice to Others Considering Nursing
A busy unit with many patients, lots of RNs completing plenty of procedures, care reports and other essential duties – that’s Casey’s life. He said having support and seeing wins makes it all come full circle.
“We’ll have patients with recent kidney transplants, and as we continue to check on them you see signs of improvement,” he said. “You see the labs the next day, and the proof they’re getting better. Being part of that success is incredible.”
Casey said nursing students can look forward to those awesome successes as they push themselves in their training. “Stick to the path, because it will be hard,” Casey said. “Now I realize, every day on the floor can really be a good day – and you’re learning every day. You’ll never be bored.”
Since his unit and floor supervisors lead by example and include him as a vital part of the team, Casey knows what he started less than a year ago is where he belongs.
“My leaders are invested in my success, and I’ve told them where my inspiration started. They really listened to the story and shared their own,” he added. “I like to think Hannah would be proud of me, and I know I’ll have a chance to help more patients, just like she did with her donation.”
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