Spotlight

Meet Alyssa Fett, a staff nurse within orthopedic surgery at Adena Orthopedic and Spine Institute (AOSI). Alyssa works with patients following surgery during their time in recovery rooms at AOSI, helping execute their treatment and care plan by administering any needed medications, providing wound care, and providing all necessary assistance to get them well enough to move on to rehabilitation or to be discharged home.

Early introduction to health care

Alyssa’s interest in helping others appeared at an early age. “My mom used to be an STNA (state-tested nurse aide), and me and my brother and sister would go to work with her in nursing homes. At that time, I was 8 and we’d play cards with the residents and do Bingo and help with activities. I didn’t see the actual health care side of it, I just saw the interaction with the residents and I thought that was the coolest thing going to work with mom. I looked forward to that on the days we didn’t have school and she had to go to work. Ever since then, I journeyed along the path to nursing.”

The road to Adena Health

Alyssa began that journey working as a nurse aide for four years in nursing homes, then took a short break to try something else. She found that she missed health care, however, so she took the necessary steps to first become a licensed professional nurse (LPN), then a registered nurse (RN), and recently earned her bachelor of science in nursing (BSN). She said she had always wanted to work at Adena Health, and in her return to health care was able to land a job as a medical assistant until she earned her LPN. Now, she’s doing exactly what she wants to do. “I like the interaction, and not just with the patients, but with the family members, the providers here – I have not run into a provider here who I have not enjoyed. We have a really good team and we work well together, which is why I’ve wanted to stay at AOSI.”

Satisfaction with a job well done

Seeing the progress of patients as they work toward being able to go home after a surgery provides Alyssa a tremendous amount of job satisfaction. “They get very antsy when they are ready to go home, and seeing the amount of relief when they’ve reached the point where they’re able to be discharged, that’s one of the most rewarding parts of the job because that’s your main goal, getting people stable enough to go home. I also have the satisfaction of knowing I’m coming to work with coworkers who are very helpful. Anything I may need help with, they are willing to help me with, and that makes the job a lot better, as does the availability of the resources we need to provide quality care to our patients.”

Opportunities for advancement

Alyssa said Adena Health provides plenty of chances for advancement and taking on additional responsibilities that help employees learn and grow. “They offer great opportunities. Some of my co-workers I worked with when I started here came from others areas such as food service or housekeeping and took advantage of a medical assistant (MA) program that provides training to help someone pursue a different role as an MA. In other positions, there are opportunities to develop leadership skills. I’ve been a nurse since 2009 and an RN for about a year, and in that year I’ve helped as a charge nurse on our unit when needed and have had the opportunity to also pick up additional shifts in other hospitals within the health system.” Alyssa also champions a sixth week of education and job shadowing that has been added to the onboarding and orientation for nurses that is then followed by a one-on-one orientation within the unit in which they will be working. “That really takes the stress out of entering a new work environment,” she said.

A great place to grow

Alyssa said anyone interested in a health care career or looking to open a new chapter in their existing health care journey should “just go for it” and pursue one of the available career opportunities at Adena Health. “Any questions or concerns you may have, I can tell you that every manager I’ve come across is eager to answer them and help you build your stable of knowledge. Adena likes to watch you grow in your career and in your knowledge base. I’ve learned a lot since being here and I continue to learn every  day.”

Find your next career

Start your new career at Adena Health. For a complete listing of all available career opportunities within the health system, click here.