Written by: Shawn Chacko

My Northwell Health story is really a culmination of a journey that started years ago. My family emigrated from a third world country where poverty and disease were pervasive. Traveling to my native land created this burden in me to help solve these issues. By 2007 I was riding the wave of believing in our own capabilities and I came to the realization that my efforts needed to be focused on a very specific mission. I then became determined to build hospitals and clinics in under privileged areas around the world.

In 2009 I decided to attend Stony Brook University where I enrolled as a pre-medical student. I believed my passion for medicine and my affinity for sciences would provide the means to fulfill my mission. During my sophomore year of college there was an opportunity to assist on a medical mission’s trip to Ethiopia. I traveled 6,994 miles away from all the comforts I had to help the people of this country in any way I could. The experience really exposed me to suffering once again, but something within me changed. The country and the people were beautiful, but the sheer neglect for life, health and opportunity were appalling. Images of children on their last hope were seared into my brain, and I knew I needed to take action.

After returning from the trip, I decided to study the science behind healthcare delivery. I was fascinated by the magnitude of complexity involved. I would spend all of my free time reading books on anyone remotely related to building healthcare systems from Otto Von Bismarck to Patch Adams. The irony of my fascination was that our country was dealing with healthcare reform at the time which only furthered my interest, and shifted my focus away from the clinical aspect of care. I decided then to leave the pre-med track and enter a healthcare management program.

After making this difficult decision I formed a club with like-minded individuals who had a passion for the underserved communities of the world called Free the Children. The purpose of our club was to build a school in Sierra Leone, West Africa. We found that education decreased disease prevalence within communities, and so for a country that had been torn by civil war for decades we focused our efforts in this particular area. After three years of giving lectures, motivational speeches, and fundraising we were able to give a significant portion to the school. The experience provided some relief for the burden I was carrying, but I still felt an overwhelming desire to do more.

During my final year of undergraduate studies I entered my concentration of healthcare management where I was exposed to the many different aspects of care delivery. Having a teaching hospital so connected to the university provided opportunities I would otherwise not have. I volunteered in one of the healthcare management departments at the hospital where I met key individuals who encouraged my dreams and gave me guidance on what I should do next.

Ultimately I was advised to apply to business schools in New York.  Hofstra’s Zarb School of Business, and during my first year in graduate school I went to an alumni event where I would meet Dganit Raviv (Dee), the Director of HR Analytics at Northwell Health. Dee and I really hit it off, and she provided great advice on how I would be able to penetrate the healthcare job market.

Six months later I began applying to internships for the summer and eventually found an opportunity for an operations internship with CVS Health. I spent my time working on a project to implement Medication Therapy Management within the region, and met many great people, but ultimately I really wanted a role within healthcare.

I mentioned to Barbara, my manager at the Zarb Career Center, that I was having trouble finding a suitable internship.  My manager then reached out to a friend at Northwell Health to see if there was any availability without my knowledge. A few days later I got a call from Dee, the woman I had met at the alumni event six months earlier. I came in for an interview and was offered a temporary full-time position as a strategy analyst. I was able to get my feet into health care while also completing my degree by joining Northwell Health’s internal temporary staffing agency, Flexstaff. A few weeks after I started Dee told me she would love to have me join her team permanently, and I have really enjoyed the experience. I’ve had so many opportunities to meet great people and attain valuable skills during my time here. I’ve worked on projects to increase revenue growth through people strategies concentrated on attaining and retaining talent through quality of hire initiatives, to implementing five year plans for merger and acquisition integration efforts. Perhaps my proudest accomplishment was creating a departmental Think Tank focused on capturing innovative ideas and driving the business forward. This started with three people and grew to over 40 dedicated individuals. I’ve been afforded many opportunities in my role, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to develop essential skills and tool kits for the future.

Northwell Health has provided me a great platform to learn new aspects of healthcare, and I hope to use these experiences to fulfill my dreams of building my own hospitals and clinics around the world.

Thank you to all of you who have played a role in shaping and guiding my future and special thanks to Northwell Health.

Written by: Iris Berman

From the time I was a little girl I knew I wanted to be a nurse. I can remember even as a 6 year old bringing my friends in to our home to tend to their battle wounds from climbing trees, falling off bicycles or roller-skates and the like. My mother kept a constant supply of antiseptic cream and brightly colored Band-Aids for my use. That was the beginning. At nine years old my father had suffered a heart attack. I had learned some basic first aid in the girl scout troop and recognized his symptoms . I’d visit him (children weren’t allowed in the Coronary care unit in those days) and observe through glass partitions all that the nurses were doing.  I was sure then, that was what I wanted to do.

My very first job that would open the gate to involvement in the now Northwell Health system began over 30 years ago in Glen Cove Hospital even before it was ever part of the health system.  Starting as a per diem nurse gave me the opportunity to work in a variety of environments, but it was Critical Care that called to me, and it has served me well.

I had already moved into a position in the coronary care unit when Glen Cove became one of the first acquisitions to (at that time) NSUH. Maybe it was my family history, but I became very interested in at risk populations and volunteered to work on joint programs with the hospital and the American Heart Association.  The health system supported my interest and the program continued to grow. We began to develop a support program for patients with a variety of cardiac diseases. – all the while I continued to explore other options in my employment moving to the broader field of critical care.  I knew I wanted to go back to school (I already had my BSN). Because of the great tuition reimbursement program, I was able to return to school to obtain my MSN in Nursing Administration. Opportunity knocks in our health system; you just have to answer the door!

While attending school I became the critical care educator for Glen Cove.  The wonderful thing is that  while hired for a specific site, this roll enabled me to work not only on site but to collaborate on system wide task forces for things like stroke, CV disease and  other best practice programs. There were always opportunities to grow, and the leadership teams greatly encouraged, welcomed, and supported me.  I wrote and successfully was awarded a grant to expand stroke education. Being an educator allowed me to use my years of nursing knowledge to help others both on the patient front and in nursing and beyond.

A few years after becoming an educator an opportunity for a management position became available and again I received the full support from the leadership team.  I never would have imagined, even then, that I’d be where I am today. Because I have always been active in my professional organization of AACN (American Association of Critical Care Nurses) I had been increasingly aware of something called tele-ICUs (eICU®), part of an emerging field called telemedicine . When I saw that there was a director’s position for this program in our own health system, I jumped at the opportunity to apply. Low and behold I got the job. It seems that although I was based in a community hospital the work I had done over the years was recognized.   I can’t think of many other organizations as large as ours, where there is such accessibility and visibility to senior leadership.

I could go on but suffice to say that I have moved from Director of the eICU program to AVP for Telehealth and now VP for Telehealth services.   This highlights the opportunities and ability of our health system to be progressive, agile, and welcoming all at once.  I am one of the fortunate who truly loves going to work every day.  I am so proud to be part of this wonderful organization now known as Northwell. John Quincy Adams once said: “If your actions inspire others to dream more, earn more, do more and become more, you are a leader”. Because our Northwell Leaders are visionaries I have been allowed to dream, be and do more!

 Explore our teleheath career opportunities.

Picture: Iris (First woman on the left) with employees on her eICU team. 

Written by: Todd Goldstein 

You might be thinking, what in the world is bioprinting and why would a team spend years developing it? Well, 3D bioprinting is the use of 3D printing technology with materials that incorporate viable living cells. The end product produced is tissue for reconstructive surgery. This type of technology can transform the way medicine is practiced. Just think about a world where organ donors are no longer needed – if you need a transplant of some sort, it can be printed on demand from your own cells while you wait. But before I get ahead of myself, let’s start at the beginning… 

My journey within Northwell Health started off 30 years ago when I was born at Long Island Jewish Medical Center. After a brief 20+ year hiatus, I returned in a very stereotypical way – I was a student who needed a side job with lots of shifts and flexible hours. After some investigation I applied to work per diem as a patient transporter at North Shore University Hospital, where I worked at night while I was completing my master’s degree. It was a perfect fit for me; I was able to converse with patients as I wheeled them around the hospital for their various tests and discharges.

As I was completing my degree, I applied and was accepted to the PhD program at the Hofstra Northwell School of Medicine. I wasn’t sure what I specifically wanted to work on, but I knew I had a knack for technology and a new found appreciation for Orthopedics & Radiology.  I worked 4 years at the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research completing my degree in the Laboratory of Orthopedics Research under Dr. Daniel Grande PhD. We spent countless hours working on 3D bioprinting of cartilage, bone, and tracheal tissue. The environment I “stumbled into” was one of collaboration, innovation, and patience. It was challenging, but very rewarding. The lab provided an environment filled with students, residents, fellows, physicians, and research scientists all working to further medical knowledge and create new treatments for patients in need. Anyone in the lab was able to “grab the bull by the horns” so to speak, and take on a project they deemed interesting. You took ownership and were able to see it through to the end.

One day, in walked two chief surgeons with the idea of tissue engineering lab grown tracheas. Dr. Lee Smith MD and Dr. David Zeltsman MD were interested in our capabilities within the lab and if we were willing to work with them on a non-orthopedic project. Dr. Grande said “Todd if you want to spear head this project, go right ahead, just let me know what you need.” Over the next two years we worked to build up a protocol to 3D bioprint tracheal replacements in the lab. It was our hope of one day transplanting a replacement into a patient – to restore their breathing would become a reality.

Once I had the support I needed, we began right away. While we are not at a point to transplant lab grown organs, we are well on our way. To kick off this type of project we started to build our own 3D printer that could create our tissue since the commercially available printer options were extremely expensive. We took a desktop 3D printer, stripped it down to its guts, then using design software created new printer heads that could accept living cells within a jello like material. Many early mornings and late nights watching the 3D printer whirl around in circles placing layer after layer of cells, gel, biocompatible, and biodegradable scaffold materials were necessary to get this idea to become reality. After much trial and error we were able to print a living “breathing” lab-grown trachea.

In the beginning of 2016 the 3D bioprinter was submitted into Northwell Health’s Breakthrough contest where the winner received additional funds to further their research and make their scientific dream a reality. All of the 61,000 employees in our organization were able to vote on the breakthrough that they found the most significant in effecting patients care, and the printer happened to be the winner. Without Northwell’s support this project would still be just an idea. I have been able to take away important skills throughout this journey – whether it be about patient customer service, or a complicated statistical analysis of scientific data, without the Northwell Health family like environment I would still be wandering the halls looking for my niche. I have now graduated from the medical school and Northwell has created a unique roll for me as I share my time between the Orthopedics Lab and the Northwell Ventures Team serving as a technical analyst, as the hospital rolls out new innovative business ventures furthering our patient care capabilities.  I now get to help shape the innovative future of healthcare, both in and out of the lab, as we take ideas from the bench top and translate them to the bedside.

Written by: Michele Grossman

One of the main focuses of Northwell Health is providing patients and their families with the best experience possible in situations they didn’t necessarily choose to be in. Most of us chose to work for a healthcare organization because of the intrinsic good with the services we provide, yet working in a corporate office you don’t necessarily get to see the impact your work has on patient experience.

Corporate HR’s office culture committee was created to plan fun events and activities for employees at the 1111 Marcus Ave offices. After raising employee engagement in our office we wanted to take our committee to the next level and help the community. Luckily, we discovered that Make-A-Wish was our neighbors in the building. They hosted a lunch-and-learn for our staff and we realized that their mission and our mission were aligned, and that our employees were interested in giving back to this organization. We decided to partner with them and have our employees work together to raise money to sponsor wishes for children with life threatening illnesses. Make-A-Wish committed that the children we would sponsor would be children who are being treated at Cohen’s Children’s Medical Center (CCMC) – this would allow us to take patient experience to the next level.

In May 2016 we kicked off the Make-A-Wish pilot with all of the Northwell Health corporate business areas. This would give us a chance to see if the program would be successful and give the corporate employees a chance to touch upon a level of patient experience they weren’t able to previously. When starting this program, our goal was to raise $10,000 (enough to sponsor one child’s wish) by the annual Walk for Wishes in September. Throughout the summer the corporate offices hosted a variety of fundraising events including the “Wall of Stars”, raffling off reserved parking spaces, wearing blue for Make-A-Wish, jeans days, raffling an Apple Watch, employee car washes, etc. All of these events led us to raise over $22,000, doubling our goal and allowing us to sponsor wishes for two children!

The two children we were picked to sponsor both were diagnosed with Leukemia and were being treated at CCMC. Seraphina, age 10, wished to travel to Paris and go to Disneyland while she was there. Alexander, age 18, wished to go on a tropical vacation so he was scheduled to travel to Hawaii. In the spirit of Thanksgiving, the culture committee threw Seraphina and Alexander a send-off party before going on their trips and invited all of the corporate office liaisons to attend as a thank you for all of their hard work and fundraising efforts. It was a great day filled with beautiful decorations and all of Seraphina and Alexander’s favorite foods and desserts. Both families were so touched by what we did for them and it was so nice to be able to lift the spirits of these children. Since this pilot was so successful we were going to roll this program out to all of Northwell Health in 2017 so we can continue to raise the standard of care our patients receive, which goes far beyond the correct treatments, but helps them and their families mentally and emotionally. We look forward to helping more of our patients at CCMC throughout 2017 with the help of Make-A-Wish foundation. 

Written by: Briana O’ Shaughnessy 

Before beginning my journey at Northwell Health, I received a B.S. in Community Health with a Minor in Sociology at SUNY Cortland. After walking at graduation in May, 2016 I began my internship with Northwell Health which was the culminating piece of my degree. The internship I held was very unique and an experience I will be forever grateful for. It was designed as a rotational program and the idea was to expose me to a variety of departments in corporate HR to help me decide where I wanted to focus. Over the course of 12 weeks I had the privilege of working with seven different teams and countless wonderful employees. Not only was the experience eye opening in regards to the career path I wanted to follow, but it was also a wonderful networking opportunity and allowed me to begin fostering productive working relationships. Perhaps the most helpful piece of information I took away was that almost every employee I talked to had one thing in common- their careers have taken many unexpected turns and that few are doing what they originally set out to do after graduating undergrad. These accomplished employees took advantage of  the unique and exciting opportunities provided by Northwell, and were not afraid to go outside of their comfort zone to find what they are passionate about. After hearing this, my fears of being a new grad who doesn’t know “what they want to do” started to disappear. I realized that I had my entire life ahead of me and that I could never possibly predict what opportunities would arise – all I knew for sure was that Northwell Health was the place that would provide me with them. 

One week before the completion of my internship on August 9th, I was offered a position through FlexStaff, Northwell Health’s internal temporary staffing agency. I was thrilled. Although this was not a permanent position, it was a foot in the door at the company I wanted to build a career with. I was hired as an Administrative Support Associate with the Workforce Readiness team. This team creates a pipeline for Talent and prepares our future workforce for healthcare careers. This is done through countless events and programs designed to introduce certain populations, such as students and veterans, to the countless career opportunities in healthcare that Northwell Health has to offer. After one day of spending time with this team during my internship I knew it was a perfect fit. The people could not have been more welcoming and I knew I wanted to be a part of the incredible work done here. Fortunately, three months after accepting the FlexStaff position, I was offered a full-time position as a Coordinator. I was so happy I would get to officially be a part of this team, and most of all I was so excited that I could continue the work I felt so strongly about and watch different programs and projects grow and develop.

I was quickly drawn to the work done with high school students. I have always had a passion for educating our country’s youth and this seemed like the perfect opportunity. The Spark! Challenge and Medical Marvels are two programs in particular that aim to introduce students to careers in healthcare that they otherwise may not learn about in school. These programs force the students to think critically and explore the many facets of healthcare. Another ongoing project I am involved with is college recruiting. This is an area I never thought I would be a part of, but am very happy that I am. My main goal here is to partner with universities to introduce them to open careers at Northwell Health.  I work with professors and career centers to link eligible students and alumni with our health system and explore opportunities that can benefit both them and us. This may be done by simply sending out a job description or setting up different events on campus or at one of our sites. Perhaps the most exciting part of my job is that our team is diverse in the populations we serve giving me a chance to learn something new every day on a variety of people. One day I could be working with college students, while another I could be assisting our Veteran Specialist with the veteran population, another day calling candidates to set up interviews for our elite nurse fellowships.

As a new grad I was extremely nervous to begin my journey outside of the classroom, however, to my pleasant surprise it has been wonderful. Northwell Health has welcomed me with open arms and in my seven months here has presented me with two outstanding opportunities. I am excited to see what else my journey has in store.

Picture: Briana is in the front left of the picture with the Center for Workforce Readiness Team that focuses on the communication with students in high school and college as well as nursing externships, fellowships and Veteran relations.  

Q: How long have you been working here?

A: I have been a Registered Nurse with Northwell Health since February 13, 1989.  I started working at Long Island Jewish Medical Center (LIJ) and transferred to Huntington Hospital June 17, 2013.

Q: What positions have you had since being in the health system?

A: When I started at LIJ I worked as a Labor and Delivery RN.  I stayed in that position for 12 years and in December of 2000 I worked as a Pain Management Nurse within the anesthesia department on labor and delivery for the labor patients.  In January 2012, I changed positions to Quality Management at LIJ and I was responsible for core measures and also supported the quality measures within the anesthesia department. In June of 2013 I transferred to Huntington Hospital as a Quality Coordinator and at that time was supporting the OB/GYN/PEDS and Anesthesia departments in their quality program. 

Q: Has Northwell Health provided you with any career growth opportunities?

A: When I transferred from pain management to quality at LIJ, I had the opportunity to attend Beginnings.  This was extremely inspiring to me because our President and CEO, Michael Dowling, gave a presentation and asked each of us in the room where we would like to be in 5 years, or even 10, and inspired me to return to school for my Master’s degree in nursing administration. At this time I have only 2 more classes before I complete my Master’s degree and this has allowed me to climb the ladder with my career here at Huntington Hospital.  In February, I was chosen to become the Manager of the Nursery/Special Care Nursery and in September I became the Nurse Manager of the maternity unit as well. This has been a wonderful experience to grow my career.  I have been involved in many leadership classes at the eastern region level and also at the system level at the Institute for Nursing and at the Center for Learning and Innovation.  I was also able to attend graduate school because the health system pays, encourages and is supportive of nursing higher education. I am grateful for the opportunities the health system offers and I would not have been able to attend the program if their support was not available to me.

Q: What do you love most about working in nursing at Northwell Health?

A: I love all the opportunities available to nurses that allow us to continue to be a lifelong learners. I am proud to work for the largest private employer in New York State, and when people ask where I work I proudly say Northwell Health at Huntington Hospital.  So many of things I previously stated are the reasons I LOVE working for the system. I have worked here since I am 22 years old, going through many milestones in my life, and I have always felt that this organization is supportive of their nurses and honored home/work life balance. Not only am I proud to be a nurse in the system, but I have encouraged all new nurses that I meet to apply and work in a Northwell hospital.  I am extremely passionate about having people come to one of our hospitals that I even encouraged my daughter, who was actually born at LIJ, to seek employment and she now works in labor and delivery at LIJ. I am truly grateful for the opportunities Northwell has provided for me over all these years, and am excited to see what the years to come have in store for me. 

Picture: This group photo shows Jill (From left to right, she is the 5th woman in the back row) and some of the nurses in her unit.   

Explore our unlimited career possibilities at Huntington Hospital.

Hear from Kory Stimpfl, Assistant Director of Engineering and Plant Operations, and Roger Arnott, Director of Engineering and Maintenance,  about why they chose Northwell Health as the place to grow their engineering career.

Why did you choose to pursue an engineering career at Northwell Health.

KS: Huntington Hospital, and through them Northwell Health, has been a staple of the community for my entire life. I was born at Huntington Hospital, so I am grateful for the chance to work here and help make it even better. I have had many family and friends that have been helped right here, and now I have the chance to use my engineering skills to help other peoples family and friends.

RA: I personally chose to come to Northwell Health because I wanted to work in a field where I could use my skills and abilities to help people.

Tell me a little bit about your background? Were you always in health care – if you weren’t, why did you decide to get into the field?

KS: I graduated college from SUNY Maritime College in the spring of 2015 with a Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and a Coast Guard Marine Engineering License. Using this license I got a job as a civilian contractor with the US Navy. In this job I was on a team that took care of the engine room of one of the navy’s civilian ships. I worked for them for almost a year, during which time I was traveling all over the country and the world. I realized that I wanted something that was more stationary but also wanted to see how my engineering was benefiting people, because in my old job there was a much greater divide between myself and the “customer”. When I started looking for jobs, Huntington Hospital immediately stuck out because it would allow me the best of both worlds. As the Assistant director of Engineering I can use my engineering talents to help the hospital not only with the day to day facility operations, but also with the improvements to it going forward. Every day I know that the work that I am doing in the health care field will help save people’s lives, or at least help the medical staff save people’s lives.

RA: My career started in the Marine Industry after graduating from The U.S. Merchant Marine Academy.

After working as a Marine Engineer for almost 30 years, including operations in Desert Storm, Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom and much international travel, it was time for a change. My new path took me to Brooklyn, New York for the next five years and a large 46 high story building housing complex with a centralized power plant. An engineering opportunity then arose to come to Northwell Health Huntington Hospital.  I had grown up in Huntington, NY and the opportunity to work and help people at the very hospital I was born in was extremely appealing to me. This was my first endeavor into the Healthcare Industry.

What career growth opportunities does Northwell provide for you and all engineering professionals?

KS: Northwell health is a large healthcare system, and is always growing. As with any system this large, it begins to take on a lot of its own engineering and facility work. As an engineer within the system, there are opportunities to grow within the individual hospitals and into the Physical Assets department and beyond. As a young engineer, there is incredible room for growth within the system.

RA: I believe Northwell Health offers growth opportunities for engineering professionals in different ways. The many engineering responsibilities at a hospital afford engineers the opportunity to hone their skills and expertise in many different disciplines. In addition, Northwell Health is a large and ever growing organization. This allows one many opportunities for future career advancements.

Why would you encourage other engineers to work for our health system?

KS: Working in this health system allows you to have a direct impact on helping people. The sense of purpose here is incredible, all it takes is a walk around the hospital to see all the amazing things that are possible because of the work that our department does every day.

RA: If you are a person who desires work that is personally rewarding and professionally challenging, then Healthcare industry is a good field for you. Northwell Health is a great system because it believes in and fosters a culture where everyone is a caregiver to its patients.  You truly feel you are part of a coordinated team supplying patient care.

What new initiatives/ projects have you worked on?

KS: Since July I have been involved multiple projects including the commissioning of two new emergency diesels and testing of their associated transfer switches. I have participated directly in the patient’s environment through Environment of Care rounds and through mock Joint Commission inspections. I have also been involved in the planning of the installation of three new boilers and two new air cooled HVAC chillers. As these projects complete there are always new ideas and projects around the corner that need some input from our department. This ensures that the job will always be exciting.

RA: Since my start a few months back I have been involved in numerous projects of varying sizes. Although it was started before my tenure I have been working to finalize and commission our new Emergency Department addition and its associated 3 MW of emergency diesel power system. I have also been working on the design and construction for three Main boiler installations totaling 650hp, and a chiller relocation and replacement project for 800 tons of air cooled chillers. Both of these projects being simply the first phase of a two phase projects. Additionally, we are also doing work for a new Hyperbaric unit requiring the installation of an additional Oxygen tank and pad, re-powering from 208 VAC to 480VAC, installation of new lab testing equipment, installation of new nuclear medicine equipment , replacement of an Underground fuel oil tank and new air handling equipment. This is all happening coincidentally with multiple departmental re-locations and renovations as well as the day to day repairs and maintenance of the hospital. It is a busy pace covering many Engineering disciplines but is extremely rewarding.

 Interested in joining our team of engineers? Explore our unlimited career possibilities today.

South Oaks Hospital, a proud member of Northwell Health, has not only continued to have a long term reputation for compassionate care for their patients, but for their employees as well. Hear from Colby Povill, Nurse Manager, about how she can only see the good that comes from psychiatric nursing and from working in an environment that encourages every employee. 

“South Oaks Hospital has afforded me the opportunity to develop and grow over the past eight years.  I started as a float RN, and I was offered opportunities to work in all service areas, and to cover as our second ECT nurse.  As South Oaks leadership saw potential in me, I was promoted to an inpatient charge nurse, and was later given a position as the Charge of the Adolescent Partial Program.  While in this position, I started working towards my MSN, and when a management position opened up, leadership again saw potential in me and gave me the chance to develop as a nursing leader.  I have been a manager for the past three years, starting in the Child & Adolescent service area, and more recently transitioning into Adult services.  Due to my experience, I believe that leadership here at South Oaks recognizes its employees’ goals and strengths, and offers constant opportunity for development and growth. 

What I have found throughout my years here is that every position is an invaluable experience, and every patient population offers opportunities to learn. Psychiatric nursing not only offers a wealth of diverse experiences, but it is also constantly evolving. I also learned that psychiatric nursing is one of the only specialty areas that truly focuses on the patient-to-nurse relationship such as, recovery and wellness  which always depend upon our contentedness with our patients. The professionals who succeed in psychiatry are truly the most selfless and infinitely patient people that one could ever know.  Working among such individuals has been a truly rewarding experience and has made South Oaks my second home. 

South Oaks Hospital is a place not only to develop professionally, but to also grow personally.  The sky is the limit, and the challenges offered here can teach you a great deal about psychiatry, mental health, and people in general – as well as a great deal about yourself, and your own potential.  If psychiatry is something that fascinates and calls to you, I can’t imagine a better place for you to work.”

Written by: Colby Povill 

“As a medical professional you want to do everything you can to help your patients. However, sometimes the best medicine doesn’t come from a bottle, it comes from a smile!” – Adair Galanski, CCLS

Sundays are known for family time – games, adventures, and everyone’s favorite family dinner. Whether it’s a big roast with mashed potatoes, taking a stroll in the park to see who can swing the highest, or having a refreshing day at the beach, it is a day made for bonding. For some children and their families at Cohen Children’s Medical Center (CCMC) it may not be so relaxing. Instead it can be filled with doctor’s appointments, shots and more.

Adair Galanski, a Certified Child Life Specialist at CCMC, recognizes the importance that this day holds in families hearts and decided to take action by creating a different theme to entertain the children every Sunday throughout the month. “The hope was to create an atmosphere that would allow an opportunity to ease the difficulties of being hospitalized on a regular basis.  I enjoy helping to facilitate a day that patients, families and staff look forward to and enthusiastically participate in,” Adair said. 

Ranging from Disney princesses, to safari adventures, Adair and her team on the Inpatient Hematology-Oncology & Bone Marrow Transplant Unit always know how to shift the focus from treatment to fun. “As a Child Life Specialist, my role is to help children understand their medical condition, teach them how to cope successfully with their hospitalization, and help normalize the hospital environment.  Since Sundays are typically comforting days at home, I wanted to create an environment more familiar and fun for patients, families and staff.” Throughout the months she has been the hope, the smile, and the loving hands for so many children and their families. Every difference, big or small, makes a huge impact to those who depend on you. We empower and support every employee to push their limits and create their own style of unique care.

 Follow Adair and the rest of the Child Life team at CCMC each month and dive into their world of teamwork, friendship and unparalleled care for the little ones who bring light to their life each and every day. 

When you work here, you are family.

As an organization we pride ourselves on teamwork, which is only one of the many pillars we stand on. Gary Levitt, RN at Southside Hospital, couldn’t agree more. Whenever he is walking into a shift he knows he will be surrounded by people he can trust, “It means a lot to me to be an RN in the Emergency Department at Southside Hospital.  I am part of the most dynamic team I have ever known.  We all have our different personalities which makes it all the more exciting.  I can honestly say that we are one big family.”

Just like in all families, you have to accept the differences and learn to work around them. Levitt says, “We are always mostly happy together but there are days when we get frustrated with the job and sometimes with each other.  What family doesn’t?  In times of urgent situations, we place our differences aside and work extremely well together.  I can even anticipate a co-worker’s response in a given situation.  I guess when you spend so much time together, you really learn about a person.” Being in such a fast paced and highly demanding job it’s inevitable to avoid conflict but the environment that surrounds you makes all the difference. Gary knows that without the help of his team they wouldn’t be as successful as they are today:

“Our nurses, nurse assistants, physicians, PA’s, NP’s, x-ray technicians, transporters, ward clerks, social workers, case managers, and our leaders in administration all have to work together to provide the excellent care we give on a daily basis.  I can’t do it alone.  I need EVERYONE on the team.” 

Leaning on each other and recognizing each employee for their strengths is exactly the environment we are talking about. Every team is committed to delivering exceptional patient experience, pursuing innovative ideas that are transforming the delivery of health care, and fostering greater teamwork to improve patient safety. The dedication Gary and his team shows is the perfect example of who we are here at Northwell Health: we are teamwork, we are innovation, we are excellence. 

Begin your journey with us.

Photo: Gary is in the middle of the picture in the black t-shirt. His dedication to his team never fails to impress us: “The enclosed photo is me with my co-workers after a CPR course.  I did not want to send a photo of just myself, but insisted on showing at least part of the team that I am proud to be a part of.” 

About the Exceptional Patient/Customer Experience Winner

The winner for Exceptional Patient/ Customer Experience is Amy Smith, NP, Program Coordinator – Emergency Nursing at Lenox Health Greenwich Village. As a Sexual Assault and Violence Intervention advocate, Amy noticed that there was a great opportunity to better connect medical providers and patients in very difficult situations. She voluntarily responds to overnight calls from local emergency departments for patients who were victims of sexual assault or intimate partner violence.

She chose to become a nurse at North Shore University Hospital eight years ago. She worked on her off days to continue caring for patients in the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner program, known as SANE. The lure of a day position landed Amy at Lenox Hill Greenwich Village. Although the facility was not officially a SANE center, Amy tended to patients who needed her specialized attention.

Her biggest influence has been from her work as program coordinator of emergency nursing at Lenox Hill Greenwich Village, a leadership role she embraced when the standalone emergency center was set to open two years ago. Since then, Amy has developed the nursing staff and has made strides in building Lenox Hill Greenwich Village into New York City’s newest SANE Center of Excellence.

She’s collaborated with the New York State Alliance Against Sexual Assault to train her staff. Amy has become a preceptor for the Department of Health and she’s helped set protocols for her program. In two years, Amy and her team have helped more than 80 sexual assault victims. She provides court testimony in support of the victims and is working with FDNY to train EMS providers in the pre-hospital care of sexual assault victims.

Her exemplary journey through Northwell Health is a direct result of her passion. From connecting medical providers with patients, to holding patients hands and making them feel comfortable, Amy makes a difference each and every day.

Watch her story come to life.