Emergency department (ED) nurses are required to act quickly and remain calm in the face of constant medical crises, so it’s critical that teams work well together. The ED nurses at Providence Regional Medical Center Everett are not only a great team—but also a family—united to deliver the best care to the Everett community. Here’s what they say about working together.

Nurse Manager Beth considers it one of her key responsibilities to make the Everett ED a welcoming place where nurses have what they need to do their “sacred” work. “It’s a pretty cool thing to say, ‘I save lives for a living.’ Some days, you’re with critical patients, holding space for people’s most difficult moments. I connect deeply with that, and it feels sacred. And no matter how challenging a shift is or what is coming at us, I know the people next to me have my back and they know that I have theirs. And that is something that’s irreplaceable.”

“I want everyone on my team to feel cared for, to feel supported,” Beth continues. “I want them to know that if they need something, I will do everything I can to help. Our team cares very well for our community and works really hard, and I feel like it’s my privilege to be able to care for my team.”

ED RN Amy feels that care and support. Says Amy, “The leadership is why I stay. Having left and worked elsewhere and experienced different types of leaders, it’s a very hands-on management and they’re very visible within the department and willing to help out. They’re in the trenches with us, coming in at weird hours if we’re short staffed. I feel very supported by management.”

Amy says that support extends to the rest of the nursing team. “I wouldn’t be able to do this job without the support of the team I work with,” she says. “We can see some really heavy things but we’re always there for each other, to be a shoulder to cry on, to build people up, to crack a joke to lighten the mood.”

ED nurse Paige laughs and calls the nursing team a “hoot.” She says, “They’re fun. And beyond that, everyone comes to the table with such different experiences, and such different knowledge. No one looks down on you for asking a question no matter how silly or weird it may seem.”

Payton is new to nursing and Everett and has had an incredibly positive experience so far. She says, “Everybody’s been so welcoming. Everybody will come up and introduce themselves. I did my clinicals here in nursing school and I just knew this is where I wanted to be because of everybody that I met.”

Amy says the camaraderie extends outside the nursing staff. “It’s very much a collaborative effort between not just nursing but our techs, the docs, transport, CT. These last couple years have really tested us in a lot of ways, but they’ve shown us how flexible we can be and how resilient we can be. Working here, no one’s on their own.”

ED Nurse Resident Lindsey, who recently transitioned from being an ER Tech, agrees with that sentiment. “I personally have not felt more supported anywhere else but here,” says Lindsey. “I’ve not had any other team really battle through the trenches as we have. I’ve seen people just work together in the scariest times. People do cheers, there’s always positive outlooks. So even if you’re having a rough day, you can find somebody to turn it around, and I feel like that’s really important.”

Assistant Nurse Manager Elizabeth says, “We are a family. We take care of each other. We look out for each other. We like to be there when someone’s having a hard day, but also to laugh and joke and be joyful. My philosophy is to be the best person I can be, which helps everyone around me be their best. I’ve been fortunate that my family has been cared for here at Providence Everett as well, and I want to give everybody the care that I would want for my family.”

The Providence Swedish Mission of caring for all comes through every day. Beth tells a story of an interaction with a pediatric patient that defines her team. “When he left, he turned to the nurse and told her, ‘I’ve never felt this loved in my life.’ That moment is what our team does every day. They show up and make a big impact.”

If you’re interested in joining our family and making a big impact at Providence Everett, view all roles.