“I love nursing. I just love being able to give.”
Although Della always wanted to become a nurse, it didn’t happen for her until she was in her 30s. Still, it became her life’s work.
Della has worked for 32 years at UPMC Williamsport, with the first dozen years in orthopaedics and the last 20 in rehabilitation.
“I love nursing,” she says. “I just love being able to give. We all have our own specialties, and mine is where I can talk to my patients, work with my patients, get to know them, and give them myself. There has never been a day that I had to get up and say, ‘Oh my goodness, I have to go to work.’ I literally love what I do.”
Della says her passion for caring comes from her mother, who “had a huge heart.” She believes in the importance of getting to know and understand her patients and their loved ones. She says one of her biggest rewards as a nurse is the knowledge that she’s made someone’s day better, even if it’s just through a smile.
In addition to her bedside responsibilities, Della also teaches. She enjoys shaping the next generation of nurses and helping to instill strong values like empathy and compassion.
“I have often said you can hire anybody and teach them skills, but you can't teach them compassion,” she says. “And these patients require compassion, and they require empathy and understanding.”
At UPMC, Life Changing Medicine means showing compassion for others.
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