Journeys to excellence: Stories of three award-winning nurses

Cassandra Fleurentin Every year, the New England Regional Black Nurses Association (NERBNA) recognizes nurses for their outstanding commitment to their profession and for going above and beyond in their designated specialty area. Read the stories of the three Boston Children’s Hospital nurses honored with this year’s Excellence in Nursing Awards. Cassandra Fleurentin: BSN, staff nurse I, 9 South Growing up, Cassandra’s mother had a chronic illness. Sitting by her bedside day in and day out and spending much of her childhood in hospitals and emergency rooms motivated Cassandra to become a nurse. “My family is Haitian and we speak fluent Creole. As a child, I saw how my mother struggled to communicate with her doctors and nurses and how that affected her care,” says Cassandra. “I became a nurse because I want to bridge the language gap in health care, I want to provide patients with culturally-competent care and be the person they can relate to and feel comfortable talking to.”Cassandra began her nursing career while pursuing her bachelor’s degree at Curry College. While in school, she became a clinical assistant at Boston Children’s on 7 west, and two years later transitioned into a staff nursing position just two floors up, where she cares for patients with pulmonary and gastrointestinal (GI) diseases. Throughout her time here, she has had many opportunities to translate for Haitian families, and has been a source of support for non-English speaking pat...
Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston - Category: Pediatrics Authors: Tags: Caregivers nursing Source Type: news