SAINT FRANCIS HOSPITAL NIGHTINGALE AWARD WINNER FEELS AT HOME
“It was very tough, but we came out stronger,”
Jaime Aniskoff, RN, likes to joke she didn’t choose a nursing career, but rather nursing chose her. A Saint Francis Hospital nurse since 2006, Jaime began her nursing career as a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN), later earning a Bachelor’s degree in Nursing and ultimately a Master’s in Nursing last July, all while continuing to work full time at Saint Francis.
Jaime since became a member of the hospital float pool, which is the group of nursing staff who are able to serve on a variety of units. Jaime’s worked on almost every unit in the hospital.
“To make a good float nurse you have to go with the flow,” Jaime explains. “You get to know a lot of staff and see different areas while utilizing all of your nursing skills. You become a very well-rounded nurse when you work the float pool.”
That kind of adaptability became more critical than ever in the spring of 2020, when she and her float pool colleagues were assigned to the first dedicated COVID-19 unit at the hospital. At that time Jaime also took on a new role of charge nurse, showing her strengths as a natural leader and a pillar of support for her peers.
During the times when hospital visitation was restricted, Jaime made it a priority to set up video conference calls for families and was there to hold patients’ hands during their last moments of life.
“It was very tough, but we came out stronger,” said Jaime, who is described by her peers as a leader with a calm and positive attitude. “The silver lining is that we’ve learned from this situation and will be better because of it in the long run.”
Jaime, now an administrative supervisor for the hospital, says throughout her career at Saint Francis, one thing has always been apparent – the family-like atmosphere.
“Saint Francis is a great institution,” said Jaime. “A lot of colleagues have a similar story to mine – their moms worked here, they were born here, and now they work here. Saint Francis really is like another home and family. It’s a different feel here. The people you work with become family.”
Jaime takes that family seriously in her work as a nurse.
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“What I learned as a very new nurse is that if you take care of your patients like your own family, they always get the best care. I pass that on to every new nurse that I’ve trained and taught. You’re going to advocate for our patients so when they walk out those doors, they have been given the very best care that they can receive.”
Jaime was taken aback when she learned she had won a Nightingale Award. “There are so many great nurses at Saint Francis, so I didn’t understand why I was chosen,” she said. “You don’t see yourself as others see you. I’m not a person who likes to be in the limelight. I’m very thankful to have been chosen, and I love the fact that others see who I am as a nurse and a person – that when I’m there, I give 100 percent.”