A Lifetime Committed to Caring
Angela Simard, RN celebrates 35 years at Elizabethtown Community Hospital
As a child, registered nurse Angela Simard used to tag along with her mother to work at the Horace Nye Nursing Home in Elizabethtown, NY. That’s when it clicked.
“She would bring me there when they had special events going on. I would see the nurses, all dressed in white, giving the residents their medications. I thought it was cool. Talking with the residents and listening to their stories made me want it more.”
Simard started her career in health care in high school as a candy striper. In 1989, she returned to start her summer job as a Clinical Nurse Assistant in the small community hospital where she was born, Elizabethtown Community Hospital (ECH). The following year, after graduating from high school, she joined the ECH team full time, working to a become a licensed practical nurse then a registered nurse.
Julie Tromblee, MSN, RN, the hospital’s Chief Nursing Officer, has worked side by side with Simard for 32 years and shared, “She brings care, compassion, empathy and advocacy to every patient and their caregivers. She is talented in her approach to those in need, not just the patient but the whole family.”
And it’s not just patients and families, Simard goes out of her way to support her co-workers. Tromblee added, “Angie brings years of knowledge to the workplace with her nursing experience. She helps mentor and guide our new employees. She leads the team during her shifts with guidance, kindness and communication.”
Simard is most at home on the nursing floor. “After working many aspects of the hospital, I always come back to the inpatient unit. I love being part of the teamwork and collaborating with co-workers, the doctors and administration to do what is best for patients. The best part of the job is being there for the families as well as the patients. They become part of the ECH family.”
Tromblee was appreciative of the opportunity “to share just a fraction of what Angie means to ECH.”
“I feel the biggest story is how she impacts our end-of-life patients. During the pandemic, when loved ones couldn't be present, she provided a virtual connection for the family, staying with the patient the entire time, even after her shift ended. Angie was the bridge for the family's end of life experience. This is just one example of the compassion and empathy she brings to the unit for the patients and her colleagues.”
Citing the many changes she has seen in health care during her career, Simard adds, “One of the biggest differences is how much ECH has expanded, but the care and passion for patients has grown more. The hospital has become an even bigger asset to the community.”
Simard shared a shy smile and added, “I strive to make a difference every day.” And so she has, for 35 years.