Elizabeth Cinanni, RN, BSN
Staff Nurse
West 6 Med/Surg

Background

I received my BSN from the University of Rochester School of Nursing. I did my clinicals at Highland and decided to apply here because of its positive and supportive work environment. It was nice to return as a graduate to a place where I felt comfortable and welcome as a student.

Time at Highland Hospital

I've been here since 2006.

Career Path at Highland Hospital

It is suggested that you should to start out with a year of Med/Surg to get exposure to a wide variety of patient populations. So, that's what I did, and I've been very satisfied with the experience. All of the skills I learned in nursing school have been put to the test, giving me a solid foundation for my goal of a future in health promotion and community health. There are lots of opportunities here so I'm looking forward to whatever comes next.

My Dominant Personality Traits

I'm pretty easy going, adaptable, and open. I am willing to go the extra mile and am flexible about scheduling. I think that contributes to a good team player. I take my work very seriously but also try to make it fun for myself and everyone around me. I try to be a good communicator, which is an important key to success on a Med/Surg floor. 

About West 6

The unit is primarily surgical intermixed with a few medical patients. The unit specializes in Bariatric surgery. We treat many different types of patients, a variety of ages, with numerous different problems.

A Med/Surg is never boring. The work covers the gamut. It requires a wide variety of skill sets and knowledge. We may manage as many as five patients at a time. I do a lot of hands-on work every day like assessments, changing all different kinds of dressings, inserting foley catheters, starting IVs, giving many different types of medications, charting, admitting, and discharging patients.

I'm particularly proud of the teamwork on my unit. The communication between nurses is great. If there’s a problem, you have backup.  Everyone’s there to help you. Our managers are very generous with compliments and recognition. They're receptive to new ideas and they let us know what’s going on. They put out a newsletter every month just for the staff. 

This job was a good choice for me. We put patients first but we care about each other too. No matter how intense it gets, someone in the group finds a way to lighten things up, laugh a little and keep on doing what we do.