Never give up

Susie Jensvold has spent her lifetime in healthcare. With 40 years of nursing experience, she can say she has truly dedicated her life to helping others.  Susie came to long-term care back in 1991 as a director of nursing, but was in acute care for many years prior to that. Nursing was just something that Susie was surrounded by since she was a child, and it’s something that she truly loves still today.

Susie’s grandmother and her aunt were both nurses. Her grandmother worked at a local nursing home, and when Susie was in high school she worked there as a nursing assistant, before there were requirements to become certified. Susie’s mother went to nursing school with the hope of becoming a nurse one day, but in 1949, women who were married were not allowed to attend nursing school. Since her mother had just recently wed, she had to quit nursing school and was never able to become a nurse. Her mother’s unfortunate circumstances certainly motivated Susie to finish school and grow her career.

Today, Susie works as a divisional education specialist for Consulate Health Care, and her goal is to help nurses continue to grow in their careers. This passion has led her to become the current President of the Florida Association Directors of Nursing Administration (FADONA). She has been a member of FADONA for 20 years now, and is proud to be the new president. During her term, Susie wishes to spread awareness about all of the benefits that FADONA offers to nurses in order to help them develop in their field. She said, “I’m also excited to share this opportunity across our Consulate nurses and hope to see more of them recognized at the convention for scholarships.” Read more Susie’s Message from the President in the Summer 2017 FADONA Focus.

Although now Susie’s role is not as hands-on as before, she is still motivated by the residents and patients who she has cared for in the past. Their stories and experiences are what keeps her pushing so hard in her role. Many of them have had such an impact on her, that she carries their memory with her still today. Seeing many patients or residents without close family nearby really hits home for Susie. Both of her grandparents were in assisted living facilities at one point, so Susie’s empathy for her residents is even greater. She said, “If this was your mother grandmother, how would you want them taken care of? You treat them as family.”

Susie believes that it is extremely important to provide the most compassionate care possible. She said, “Compassion, loving on the residents, and taking care of them, it’s what they need.” Susie makes a point to mentor and encourage her nurses to be empathetic and deeply understanding of their residents’ needs. Susie believes that you have to be compassionate to do this work. It is more than just a job, it is a calling, and many nurses never want to quit. Susie is one of those people.

We asked Susie what her goals are for the future and she said, “I’m never going to quit! I’ll always have something to do in healthcare, maybe be a volunteer, or even a school nurse. I never give up though, I’m the energizer bunny.” We are so thankful that Susie decided to share her energy with the Consulate Health Care family. We wish her the best of luck as president of FADONA, and we thank her for her hard work and dedication to nurses all over the country. Thank you Susie!