Her Story
About Meagan
I have been a nurse since 2013 and have dedicated the past 9 years specifically to hospice care. For the last 4 years, I've served as a Patient Care Manager, where my responsibilities change day to day but mainly involve supervision of staff, making sure all patients are taken care of and have access to appropriate services, equipment, and medication. A lot of my work is providing support to the staff in the field and making sure they have what they need to do their jobs, as well as reporting for compliance to Medicaid and making sure all the back office paperwork is in order. Before this role, I worked as a case manager in hospice for about 5 years, working out in the field more face-to-face with patients. Earlier in my career, I worked in group homes for adults with disabilities and provided private care for pediatrics and early childhood intervention. What drew me to this field is that I've always liked caring for people and have always felt that I've been able to manage my own feelings so I can be present and be there for people who need help in hard times. My grandfather actually had polio, and seeing him go through that at end of life really inspired me to see the value in treating the end of life with as much care and compassion as any other part of life.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Meagan
01What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
One, have a very clear idea of why you're doing what you're doing. It's not something that you can get into just because you want to make the money. You really have to have the heart for it to care for people, and also caring for yourself. I don't think there's a single section of nursing that doesn't require a lot of fortitude and strength, so just really knowing yourself, how you manage your emotions, and how to recharge yourself so you can care for others.
02What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
In hospice, there's a lot of high emotions. Whether it's a family dealing with a new diagnosis, whether it's just when we're getting close to the end of life and they're more symptomatic and we're meeting more intensive one-on-one care, it's just kind of walking through it, being there for people, allowing them to feel what they need to feel, and just letting them know that it's okay and we're there for them.
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