Everyday Heroes: Dana

May 9, 2020

Dana Rendon, RN, BSN, CEN

Registered Nurse, Inova Health

“The nurse in Tolstoy’s ‘The Death of Ivan Ilyich’ was my inspiration for becoming a nurse”

What is your favorite part of your job?

My favorite part of being an ER nurse is treating patients and seeing the immediate impact it has, I love “instant gratification” nursing.

Why did you go into nursing?

I had an English teacher at UCLA who always wanted to be a nurse and each reading assignment we did was from a nursing perspective; the nurse in Tolstoy’s “the Death of Ivan Ilyich” was my inspiration for becoming a nurse.

Any comments on workflow experiences / personal challenges during COVID-19?

Challenges created by COVID-19 have forever changed the medical community as well as our society. Recognizing the ever-changing symptoms like loss of smell and discolored toes, the constant flow of new treatments, and PPE as the new uniform are just a few of these challenges.

I worked with Steripath when it was a brand new product and was in testing in California. I was not surprised when I moved across the country and saw it implemented as a fantastic tool for ensuring reliability of blood cultures and ensuring the best treatment for patients.