Rebellion is a rite of passage for young adults, especially when following in their parents’ footsteps. So, when Angeleen Campbell, the daughter of two registered nurses, set her sights on a career in accounting, it seemed perfectly normal.
But destiny, or perhaps a more potent force like genetics, had other plans. Witnessingher family’sdedication to caring for her ailing grandmother at home sparked a flicker of inspiration in Angeleen, slowly but surely nudging her towards a path she initially swore to avoid.
“Caring for my grandmother was heartfelt and meaningful, and it was the catalyst for me finally considering a nursing career…to the delight of my parents,” Angeleen says, laughing.
Daily Nurse proudly names Angeleen Campbell and Maria Campbell Nurses of the Week for inspiring a legacy of care in their nursing roles at BAYADA Home Health Care.
From Spreadsheets to Stethoscopes
Angeleen has been a licensed practical nurse (LPN) for seven years. Her mother, Maria Campbell, is a seasoned registered nurse (RN) with five decades of experience. The remarkable mother-daughter duo embodies the spirit of nursing at BAYADA Home Health Care in Pennsauken, NJ, where they’ve spent four and more than 20 years, respectively.
Maria’s journey began in medical-surgical nursing at a hospital. After starting a family, she navigated various healthcare settings—orthopedics, private duty, and a nursing home—before returning to school to fulfill her dream of working with children. This passion led her to BAYADA Pediatrics, where she thrived for over two decades, specializing in caring for children who rely on a ventilator for respiratory support.
After earning her LPN, Angeleen honed her skills in caring for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities before transitioning to complex pediatric care. The supportive environment and familiar faces, including the unexpected opportunity to care for her own mother’s now-adult clients, made BAYADA a natural fit.
Baby Angeleen and Mom
The Benefits of a Career in Home Care
Home care offers the flexibility Maria and Angeleen crave. It allows them to balance work and personal lives, go on cruises, and explore new places—a stark contrast to the limitations of traditional hospital schedules. Beyond flexibility, home care provides a unique sense of autonomy and the ability to witness the outcomes of their care.
“You can see the immediate impact,” Angeleen says. The families appreciate getting their babies home for the first time. I get to provide continuing education for the family and develop their confidence in caring for their child. It can be stressful, but it’s joyous.”
Their shared passion extends beyond the workplace. Maria and Angeleen readily seek each other’s advice and support.
“There are no boundaries! We talk shop all the time,” Angeleen says, laughing with Maria.
Maria’s wisdom, honed over a long career, guides her daughter’s burgeoning clinical experience and helps her nursing colleagues, with whom she shares her mother’s “nuggets” of wisdom.
“She gets sick of listening to me, sure, but not of my nursing advice,” Maria says. “I think she’ll go much further than me.”
Angeleen is taking full advantage of the tuition assistance BAYADA provides and plans to further her education to pursue a role in nursing administration.
Nominate a Nurse of the Week! Every Wednesday, DailyNurse.com features a nurse making a difference in the lives of their patients, students, and colleagues. We encourage you to nominate a nurse who has impacted your life as the next Nurse of the Week, and we’ll feature them online and in our weekly newsletter.
Temitope (Temi) Oseromi, MSN, RN, CCRN-K, became the nurse manager of GBMC Healthcare’s Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU) and Surgical Intensive Care Unit (SICU) in early 2022. She’s the only nurse manager overseeing two units, but Oseromi was also tasked with rebuilding a decimated MICU.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, frontline medical staff were hit the hardest in terms of stress, uncertainty, and burnout, especially those nurses working in Intensive Care Units. As a result of post-COVID burnout, only three nurses were left on the unit.
From the ashes, Oseromi was a stabilizing, innovative, and compassionate leader who transformed the culture and energy of the unit in just 12 months. By engaging with nurse leaders on the units in a shared governance mindset, she has built trust within the teams and empowered them to lead.
Daily Nurse proudly names Temitope Oseromi Nurse of the Week for her stabilizing nursing leadership and abilities to recognize and mentor novice leaders while raising the bar of excellence for her clinicians.
“Temi has demonstrated for years that she can set a course heading for her teams and raise the bar of excellence for her clinicians,” says Stephen Benko, MSN, RN, CEN, Assistant Director of Critical Care, Medicine & Telemetry. “In addition, Temi has a keen ability to recognize potential in her teams, has mentored several novice leaders, and several promotional opportunities have presented themselves for her clinicians. Having Temi as a nurse leader, clinical expert, and partner has been integral to our recent successes.”
Oseromi worked tirelessly to recruit, retain, and grow ICU staff, spending hours interviewing people to ensure they were a good fit for the team. And she didn’t stop there. Oseromi has created a collaborative work environment between both the MICU and SICU. She communicates consistently with both units about staffing and other support needed to ensure smooth workflow and patient care.
Both units work closely and help each other if needed. Because of this, charge nurses now walk to opposite units to check in throughout the day, communicate about staffing for the oncoming shift, and see if nurses need to float to the opposite unit or if they need to share a secretary or tech.
This collaborative energy allows those working on the units to feel psychologically safe sharing ideas and concerns. Oseromi problem-solves alongside her team and co-builds the thought processes behind change. Not only does she leave space for change to happen, but she also encourages her team to think outside the box and come up with new ideas.
Oseromi is a consistent and caring leader who promotes a culture of compassion, fairness, and excellence in the ICUs. She advocates for her staff, identifies their strengths, and gives them opportunities to shine. Oseromi ensures qualified and interested team members are trained to charge, precept, and teach classes and quarterly simulations.
“Temi leads by example. She is empathetic and selfless, taking the time to understand and connect with staff,” says Kristin Feliu, GBMC ICU RN. “If there is a code on the unit, she is there, talking to the family, fetching supplies, or helping clean up after it is over. She does not ask others what she would not do herself. Temi consistently demonstrates integrity, competence, and commitment.”
Oseromi has risen to the challenging balance of strong leadership. She holds her staff to a high standard of excellence around patient care and collaboration and fosters a culture of openness, psychological safety, and lifelong learning. Oseromi is an exceptional leader who builds and mentors with intention and a human-first approach. GBMC Healthcare is grateful to have her on its staff.
Nominate a Nurse of the Week! Every Wednesday, DailyNurse.com features a nurse making a difference in the lives of their patients, students, and colleagues. We encourage you to nominate a nurse who has impacted your life as the next Nurse of the Week, and we’ll feature them online and in our weekly newsletter.
Eileen Mahler, PhD, RNC-OB, NE-BC, a resident of Oceanside, NY, was honored for her 45 years of service as a nurse at Mount Sinai South Nassau with a surprise retirement celebration. Hundreds of hospital staff attended the event, and Mahler was given a chauffeured ride home in a BMW convertible escorted by the Oceanside Fire Department Fire Engine.
Daily Nurse has named Eileen Mahler Nurse of the Week for her illustrious 45-year nursing career and lifetime dedication to the nursing profession.
Mahler began her nursing career in 1979 at South Nassau Communities Hospital (now Mount Sinai South Nassau), where she served on the Maternity Unit. She worked at the hospital for the entirety of her nursing career. She steadily rose through the ranks of nursing leadership, concluding her career as Director of Nursing Education: Professional Development, Practice and Research. Mahler assisted the hospital through numerous challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic; the conversion from hand-written patient medical records, patient triage and admissions; pharmacy orders; inpatient census; and discharge orders to Electronic Medical Records; automated patient triage; admissions and inpatient census;computerized pharmacy order entry; and electronic discharge orders.
As the Director of Nursing Education, Mahler played a pivotal role in the hospital’s journey to earning the prestigious American Nurses Credentialing Center Nurse Magnet designation and re-designation for three consecutive four-year terms, starting in 2014. Her certifications by the American Nurses Credentialing Center in nursing professional development and as a nurse executive are a testament to her expertise and dedication to the profession. Notably, she pursued her PhD while working as a nurse, demonstrating her commitment to continuous learning and professional growth.
Dr. Mahler’s exceptional contributions to the nursing profession have been acknowledged with several prestigious awards, including the Town of Hempstead’s Pathfinder Award and the DAISY Foundation Lifetime Achievement and Leadership awards. The DAISY Foundation’s recognition is a testament to her impact throughout her career, inspiring others in the nursing profession.
Nominate a Nurse of the Week! Every Wednesday, DailyNurse.com features a nurse making a difference in the lives of their patients, students, and colleagues. We encourage you to nominate a nurse who has impacted your life as the next Nurse of the Week, and we’ll feature them online and in our weekly newsletter.
In a significant development for mental health services in the military, U.S. Navy Lieutenant j.g. Lindsay Bender demonstrated strong leadership and empathy in her contributions throughout her military career, particularly at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. This resulted in her being chosen to fill the critical leadership billet of Assistant Service Chief.
U.S. Army Col. Wendy Woodall, Walter Reed’s director of nursing, emphasized that “This role is typically for an O-3 or higher and GS-12,” acknowledging the significance of Bender’s assignment.
Additionally, in March 2024, Bender was accepted into the Uniformed Services University (USU) Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, Doctor of Nursing Practice Program. This achievement and progress involved Bender’s leadership ability, empathy, and collaborative mentality.
Daily Nurse named U.S. Navy Lieutenant j.g. Lindsay Bender the Nurse of the Week for her outstanding contributions as a Navy nurse, including her caring nature, innovative mindset, clinical expertise, commitment to nursing excellence, and military mental health services.
While at Walter Reed, Bender took on multiple roles, notably serving as the Assistant Service Chief of a 20-bed medical-surgical unit and efficiently leading more than 60 military and civilian personnel. The George Mason University graduate understood the gravity of occupying a role usually reserved for higher-ranking individuals, crediting her success to the guidance received and her experience in nursing leadership.
“I feel very fortunate to have been selected to fill this role,” Bender remarked. “I owe a lot of gratitude to the mentors and leaders I’ve worked with throughout my career, who have helped shape me into who I am today.”
Recognizing her work as Assistant Service Chief as a continuation of her recent experience as a floor nurse, which influenced leadership decisions, Bender added, “Nursing is a team effort, and I approach each day as a unique opportunity to improve upon the previous day, with the awareness that influence can be felt throughout every level of the leadership structure.”
She also acknowledged her “floor experience” for providing a distinctive perspective when discussing unit operations and management with other nursing leaders, underlining the significance of a supportive and collaborative environment.
Additionally, Bender was a Patient Safety Advisor and ‘Super User’ for MHS GENESIS, the DOD’s new electronic health records system.
As a Patient Safety Advisor, Bender played a significant role in enhancing patient safety and quality improvement, fostering an environment of understanding and compassion essential for patient care.
Adapting to change, Bender led efforts during the MHS GENESIS implementation as a ‘Super-User,’ contributing to staff proficiency by linking traditional practices with new technology.
Committed to innovation and process improvement, Bender used her ‘why’ approach to revamp the nursing workflow for lab specimen handling across the directorate, improving policies and resulting in increased scanning compliance rates among nursing staff.
Bender’s dedication to military mental health services was further fueled by her personal experiences, leading to her pursuit of a degree in Psychiatric Mental Health from USU. This degree program begins this month.
“Throughout my career, I have encountered various stigmas and barriers toward seeking mental health care, which has fueled my passion for advocacy for change,” Bender explained. “This is why the opportunity to complete the Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, Doctor of Nursing Practice degree through USUHS is so exciting!”
Her advocacy was driven by recognizing the need among service members, including the challenges of military life and seeking mental health treatment.
“I hope to be an advocate for change and another person in the fight to increase mental health services for service members,” shared Bender. “The opportunity to attend USUHS and receive a top-quality education is life-changing, and I’m extremely grateful.”
Nominate a Nurse of the Week! Every Wednesday, DailyNurse.com features a nurse making a difference in the lives of their patients, students, and colleagues. We encourage you to nominate a nurse who has impacted your life as the next Nurse of the Week, and we’ll feature them online and in our weekly newsletter.
Alice Darrow, a former Navy nurse, was honored for her love of life and patriotic commitment to our country as one of the last living links to Pearl Harbor when she celebrated her 105th birthday in Danville, California, surrounded by family, friends, and community members.
Darrow was born in 1919 in Paso Robles and enrolled in nursing school after finishing high school. She then served as a Navy nurse and worked at Peralta Hospital in Oakland when Pearl Harbor was attacked on December 7, 1941. She is considered among the last of the ‘greatest generations in American history.’
Daily Nurse proudly names Alice Darrow Nurse of the Week in recognition of her love of life, patriotic commitment to our country, and status as one of the last living links to Pearl Harbor.
One Naval officer was blown off his boat as Japanese gunmen kept firing as Darrow (then Alice Beck) climbed aboard his rescue boat. “When the boat came by to pick him up, he was trying to pull himself up on the boat. They shot him. He got shot in the back,” Darrow says.
It wasn’t until four months later, while he was being treated for appendicitis, doctors did an x-ray and discovered a bullet in his heart. Darrow was assigned to him as his nurse.
“He asked me, ‘Ms. Becky, if I survive this, would you take liberty with me?’ Which was a shock. So, I said, ‘sure, why not?’ They didn’t think he was going to make it anyways,” says Darrow.
When Mr. Darrow died in 1991, the couple had been married for almost fifty years. Together, they raised four children in Lake County, where both parents were active in military memorial services.
Darrow credits her longevity to her secret to life. “Always have something to look forward to. It gets your body and mind ready for what’s next. And, of course, family, friends, and laughter.”
As for what’s next for Darrow, she’s looking forward to an ‘around the world’ cruise later this year with her daughter.
Nominate a Nurse of the Week! Every Wednesday, DailyNurse.com features a nurse making a difference in the lives of their patients, students, and colleagues. We encourage you to nominate a nurse who has impacted your life as the next Nurse of the Week, and we’ll feature them online and in our weekly newsletter.
Kate Veenstra, DNP, MSN, RN, CNL, CMSRN, ACM, NEA-BC, was recently appointed as the new chief nursing officer at the University of Michigan Health-West. Her more than 18 years of experience also tells quite a story.
Veenstra started as a bedside nurse at the hospital in 2006 and has held many roles, from associate chief nursing officer to the most recent interim chief nursing officer. Throughout her career, Veenstra has been a champion for her team and patients, leading initiatives that have significantly improved care and productivity.
One of her most notable accomplishments is co-leading a clinical nurse program, which helped to reduce cardiac readmissions and hospital stays. She also participated in a clinical care team during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Daily Nurse named Kate Veenstra the Nurse of the Week for her outstanding contributions. According to Dr. Ronald Grifka, president of UM Health-West, “Kate’s caring nature, innovative mindset, clinical expertise, and commitment to nursing excellence make her the ideal leader for this role.”
Veenstra is passionate about the success of nurses in West Michigan and has been involved in developing the Amy Van Andel Nursing Scholars program, which aims to remove cost barriers for those looking to start their careers in nursing. She has also played a significant role in creating a talent partnership with talent partnership with Grand Rapids Community College and the UM Health-West Foundation.
Nominate a Nurse of the Week! Every Wednesday, DailyNurse.com features a nurse making a difference in the lives of their patients, students, and colleagues. We encourage you to nominate a nurse who has impacted your life as the next Nurse of the Week, and we’ll feature them online and in our weekly newsletter.
