HealthLinks Charleston Nov/Dec 2019

104 | www.CharlestonPhysicians.com | www.HealthLinksCharleston.com SARAH MCCABE, RN, BSN Sarah McCabe, a home-based primary care RN case manager with the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center, has a passion for helping our vulnerable population. Her favorite part of being a nurse is the long- term relationships she builds with her pa- tients, allowing for more customized and holistic experiences. She recently won a Daisy Award, which recognizes extraordinary nurses, for her compassionate care. She saved the life of a veteran’s wife who was found on the floor in her home after several hours. McCabe went to the home for her regular check and found the wom- an, whose husband, the veteran, was suffering from dementia. “It was an honor to receive the Daisy award. It is a reminder and an inspiration to continue on in my career as a nurse to provide safe and thoughtful care to my patients,” she said. ANNA CAROLINE PETERSON, RN Ever since Anna Caroline Peterson can remember, she wanted to be a nurse. Originally from Brazil, Peterson said she has relatives there who are nurses and that she always looked up to them. “I enjoy being able to take care of others and help them in their time of need. The orthopedic floor was the unit I enjoyed the most during my rotations in school. I love seeing our patients getting ‘fixed’ and how we nurses can help them during the recovery and rehab process,” she said. Now on the orthopedics team at Trident Medical Center, Peterson said she is very grateful for her career in nursing. “There is no other job more rewarding than nursing. We need more nurses, and, even though it can be challenging, it is very worth the time going to school and helping our patients,” she concluded. KAREN HALVERSON, RN, BSN, CWON Karen Halverson is described by her peers as friendly, focused and the con- summate team player. The Goose Creek resident has served as the inpatient wound care nurse at East Cooper Medical Center since June 2018. “I knew I wanted to care for patients and improve their lives. I shadowed a wound care specialty nurse in college,” she said. Halverson then followed in their footsteps and obtained her wound and ostomy certification. She also earned an associate de- gree in nursing from the College of the Desert in Palm Springs, Cali- fornia, and bachelor of science in nursing degree from the Augsburg University in Minneapolis. Karen understands that every individual is unique and one-of-a- kind. She gives concentrated attention to each patient she inter- acts with. She encourages aspiring nurses to always ask the patient about their back story and to never stop asking “why.” T H E P U L S E O N CHARLESTON NURSES STACEY WARNEKE, RN, BSN, CPHON It was Stacey Warneke’s experience in pediatrics that led her to realize what her true passion in nursing was. “My first job as a nurse was at MUSC on the pediatric sub-specialty floor. This was an amazing floor, and, though it was mentally and emotionally difficult, I quickly fell in love with the he- matology/oncology and BMT aspects. This was mainly because of the incredibly resilient patients. These pediatric patients and their families would spend so much time on the floor that you would get to know them quite well,” she explained. She is currently the BMT donor coordinator at MUSC. She works with donors who volunteer to donate bone marrow or peripheral blood stem cells for a patient in need. Her advice to aspiring nurses: “Nursing school is difficult. Work hard and push through, and you will realize your dreams and find a great reward on the other side.” HealthLinks Charleston wants to recognize nurses as the backbone of our medical community and thank them for all their efforts!