Working for California

Liz Wessel, director of education/mission services with St. Joseph Health System Home Health Network, is not new to nursing. In fact, 28 years ago, she received her RN and has worked in home health services for 24 years—15 of them in an administrative capacity. The other 13 years were spent providing direct patient care.

In addition to her day-to-day responsibilities in home health, Wessel especially enjoys the opportunities she has to collaborate and liaison between St. Joseph Health System’s three hospitals in Orange County (St. Joseph Hospital, St. Jude Medical Center and Mission Hospital Regional Medical Center). She works to promote the values of the organization’s health care ministry and share best practices among the hospitals and the home health care agencies.

Wessel also is responsible for overseeing nursing orientation, serves as a palliative care educator, facilitates leadership development classes, is involved in risk management and chairs the agency ethics committee.

Yet she always wanted to go back to school to earn her master’s degree in nursing. She returned to her undergraduate alma mater to pursue that dream, and completed her graduate degree in 2004.

“The education I received at Cal State Fullerton was rigorous,” she said. “But I appreciated it because I could immediately apply what I learned to my job. For example, one of the goals of our hospitals is to achieve magnet status—a designation that indicates that this facility is a leader in nursing care.

“Home care has incorporated many of the best practices from our hospitals across the continuum of health care. This includes a preceptor program [to educate seasoned staff members how to successfully orient new employees], competency-based orientation and clinical narratives, where nurses write stories about their experiences caring for patients and how their interventions made a difference.”

All of these program enhancements were initially CSUF projects that Wessel implemented during her studies.

Wessel’s particular focus was on end-of-life care, particularly palliative care. At Cal State Fullerton, she was able to tailor her thesis, “Palliative Care Education and Reflective Narratives in Orientation: A Strategy to Increase Self-Awareness of Nurses’ Attitudes Toward Death and Dying,” toward her passion. In fact, her thesis received the university’s prestigious Giles T. Brown Outstanding Thesis Award this spring.

“With lengthening life spans and increased use of medical technology for life-threatening illnesses, the ability for nurses to provide compassionate and effective end-of-life care is increasingly important,” said Maryanne Garon, assistant professor of nursing, in her nomination of Wessel for the thesis award.

“I especially appreciated the assistance I received from Maryanne Garon, Linda Searle Leach, a former assistant professor of nursing; and Dana Rutledge, associate professor of nursing, all of whom were very helpful when I was developing my thesis,” said Wessel.

“I was very interested in returning to Cal State Fullerton. I received a great education the first time I attended [she graduated in 1981 with a bachelor of science degree in nursing], and it’s been wonderful the second time. My instructors were very supportive and encouraging.

“Going back to school greatly enhanced my nursing practice. The education process opens your mind to new perspectives and ways of learning. There is much more emphasis on evidence-based research—that is, looking at what’s really working. That can only improve patient care.”