Favorite Healthcare Staffing has staffed hundreds of nurses around the country for the past 40 years! Want to know what we have to offer? Favorite has a variety of placement opportunities, including, per diem, local and travel contracts, and permanent and temp-to-perm placement.
To continue the 40th-anniversary celebrations, we will be highlighting the next healthcare professional who has been an essential part of Favorite’s journey.
Meet this month’s fourth #FavoriteFamilyFeature! Copper is an LPN and has been with Favorite since November 2020. Keep reading to learn more about his story.
Who or what inspired you to pursue your profession?
grew up in an underserved community where healthcare is not easily accessible to anyone. My family and the people in my community have been affected by this disparity. Lives were lost by diseases that could have been prevented. This is what inspired me to pursue my profession – to provide care to anyone regardless of their socioeconomic and cultural background.
What is your favorite memory of working with us?
Favorite has provided me opportunities to work at different facilities with different needs. This expanded my clinical skills and made me more adaptable to change. I also love that I can manage my own schedule.
In what ways has healthcare changed throughout your career?
In today’s technological advancements, medical information is way easier to access for our patients. Sometimes, this causes patients to challenge their medical competency and may “self-diagnose” their symptoms. This is not the time to be defensive, but an opportunity to educate our patients, be an advocate and lead them in the right direction. We can use these technologies to our advantage and reach more people!
What is one piece of advice you would give to your younger self in this field?
Enjoy the process! That is one piece of advice I would give myself. Succeeding in a career you are trying to pursue not only means working hard but also enjoying the journey. You don’t have to give up everything you enjoy in order to achieve your goals. You can have fun from time to time and do other things besides working (and/or studying).
How have your patients inspired you?
Each patient is different. I learn different things from each of them, and this inspires me to challenge myself to be more adaptable in order to provide patient-centered, culturally competent care.
What do you find most rewarding about your job?
Besides the opportunity to take care of patients, I also find it rewarding to grow professionally and personally with the people I work with.
What keeps you motivated when times are tough?
Healthcare is not always going to be a smooth-sailing journey. Sometimes it is very important to take a break and do things you enjoy, whether it is spending time with family or doing your hobbies. For me, I like to spend time with my loved ones, talk to friends, go for a run, and eat dark chocolates!
How do you see the future of healthcare?
Healthcare is ever-changing. Its future relies on the needs of the people, the openness of healthcare professionals to change, and the willingness of government officials to help. For example, the COVID-19 pandemic has provided us with opportunities to change the way we deliver care. Despite these changes, if healthcare is not easily accessible, healthcare disparities remain in many communities and they continue to suffer. Perhaps we can work toward a future of accessible healthcare for everyone.
What skills do you think are important to possess to be successful in your profession?
I think it is very important to be resilient. There will be days that things just don’t go the way we planned. One day you were having a conversation with a patient who is opening up to you on a personal level, then the next day you are responding to a “Code Blue” for that same patient. That is tough. Being selfless is also important. Nurses are known for being selfless – taking care of patients that are in need. This selflessness goes way beyond just taking care of people. This could also mean disregarding our personal values so it does not affect the way we deliver care.
Tell us what makes you unique! What do you enjoy doing outside of work? Any hobbies or interests?
I love running outdoors. Colorado is a beautiful state, and it offers a lot of places to do that. I love to play the piano and learn languages. I currently speak three different languages: English, Tagalog, and Cebuano. I am relearning French and Deutsch (German) and would love to start learning Spanish. I also received my Master of Science in Biomedical Sciences last year in May.
What is your favorite quote?
“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail” by Ralph Waldo Emerson.
What three traits define you?
I would say caring, resilient, and driven.
What are the biggest lessons you have learned while working during the COVID-19 pandemic (personally, professionally, etc.)?
I learned to become a big advocate of my patients’ values. With the pandemic putting our patients’ lives at risk, there was nothing important to me than making sure that my patient’s personal values were respected. I made sure that they knew I was there for them and we could get through this pandemic together. But taking care of COVID-positive patients would have been impossible without the help of other care staff, especially the CNAs. They are the bedrock of our team, and I could not imagine doing this job without them.
Want to learn more about our job opportunities? Stay updated with our healthcare blog, and make sure to check back next week for another Favorite Family Feature! We will spotlight our healthcare professionals all month long!
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