“I learned with hospice how to have hard conversations. I learned how to be direct, but also to do that with compassion and kindness and grace.” Nurses have the most bedside contact with patients – people who may be hurting, scared, wishing they were home in their own beds. They’re not at their best. Caring for them is why we are here. Nevertheless, nurses must remain positive and professional. “Those nurses are connecting with those patients,” Berard said. “You’re spending significant amounts of time with those patients, and those patients need you. They are looking to you for everything.” Restoring Faith So Berard makes sure her nurses uphold CCH’s high standards. And she makes a point of praising them when they do – especially those struggling with the demands of their profession. “Part of my goal is trying to restore people’s faith in their calling and in the nursing career. I want people to know they are appreciated.” Berard arrived at Covington County Hospital in December 2012, coming straight out of nursing school into the high-adrenaline setting of the Emergency Department. In 2016, she left for a few months at the Intensive Care Unit at a larger hospital. She returned that same year to work in the Emergency Department at Magee General Hospital in Magee and in surgery at CCH, eventually becoming nursing supervisor in surgery. In August 2019, she left for hospice care – keeping terminally ill patients as comfortable as possible in the last few months of life. She returned again to Covington County Hospital in May 2022. Until her May 2025 promotion to Chief Nursing Officer, she worked in case management, assessing patients’ needs, implementing care plans, and making sure patients had the resources and support they needed to put those plans into action. Hard but Rewarding “Hospice was the hardest but most rewarding part of my career,” Berard said. “I loved hospice. There’s something so peaceful about a prepared-for death. It can be such a beautiful experience for the families because you literally feel God in the room when somebody’s drawing their last breaths.” She said nurses and the healthcare system in general are still rebuilding public trust that eroded during the scary, uncertain months of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. Nurses, risking their lives and working grueling hours, felt unappreciated – and brokenhearted at losing so many patients despite their best efforts. “It takes a mental toll,” Berard said. That’s why she emphasizes positive reinforcement. “You can improve someone’s mental health by saying, ‘Hey, I see what you did there. You did a good job.’ It helps on those darker days where those feelings are overwhelming.” “I learned with hospice how to have hard conversations. I learned how to be direct, but also to do that with compassion and kindness and grace.” “Part of my goal is trying to restore people’s faith in their calling and in the nursing career. I want people to know they’re appreciated.” CovingtonCares 15
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NzQxNg==