SVMC Registered Nurse Shares Her Love for Float Pool

Vicky Severance, Float Pool RN at Sierra View will tell you that she loves the experiences and the endless learning opportunities on every single floor.

Vicky was an LVN for 10 years here and she gained much of her experience in the Medical Surgical (Med-Surg) unit. When she became a Registered Nurse, her experience going into float pool was bittersweet because she hoped to be placed in Med-Surg where she was most comfortable, but she was placed in the Emergency Department instead. To her surprise in just a few short weeks, it became and is still to this day, one of her favorite departments to float to.

Float nurses have all the skills other Registered Nurses have but they are additionally trained to be assigned to a variety of departments. “You learn so much and you use so many different skills in the Emergency Department; you truly work as a team there,” Vicky explains. “When it comes to a patient needing help, everyone helps where they can; everyone communicates well; they pitch in where needed and I really enjoy working in the ED; it’s like no other department.” Depending on the staffing and need, Vicky works in several units, but in the past year, she has spent much of her time in Telemetry and the ED.

What she likes most about her job is when someone remembers her. “There is one person that stands out. A gentleman approached me at the gym and he gives me the biggest hug and tells me, ‘you don’t remember me, but I remember you. I just want to tell you that you took very good care of me…’” Vicky explains. “It meant a lot to me and was such a sweet moment because I’ve taken care of so many people and have often wondered if I do leave an impression on them.” Knowing that she continues to make a difference in patients’ lives makes Vicky’s nursing career worth it even after nearly two decades.

If you ask what inspired her to choose this career, Vicky will share a vivid childhood memory of when she was between 7 and 9 years old visiting her aunt in Mexico who is a nurse. “I remember her getting ready for work and changing into her official white uniform, and I would lay and watch her and be mesmerized by what she represented,” Vicky said smiling through her mask. From that point on, Vicky knew she wanted to do something in the medical field.

Vicky’s career journey began as an LVN, and her career home is now as a Registered Nurse. “It wasn’t until I became an RN when I really fell in love with my career path. The change in responsibility really transformed everything for me,” she said.