Venessa Rinaldi starts with a smile.
As a nurse on Med/Surg, Venessa takes good care of her patients . . . and their families, plus colleagues and students.
NH+C honors select employees each year as part of our Do the Next Right Thing initiative that empowers every individual on staff to help provide the best experience possible for patients, guests, and each other. We're proud to honor Venessa for providing steadfast patient care while also stepping up to mentor and assist other nurses.
Patients, families and fellow nurses praise Venessa for her empathy, friendliness, and warmth.
“I’ve always been a people person; I just didn’t really know where I fit until I moved to Northfield from New York and started working as a nursing assistant,” she says. “I fell in love with nursing, and wanted to do more.”
Venessa went back to school and earned her RN . . . during pandemic. “I was home with my three kids – high school, middle school, grade school,” she laughs. “We were all at school together, all at the dining room table.”
She joined NH+C in 2022.
Venessa believes that nursing means caring for the whole person: “It’s always about the person, and not why they’re in the hospital. Having a family member in the hospital is a challenging time, so you’re caring for the family too.
“I always walk into a room with a smile on my face,” she adds. “I want people to see a friendly face, to know that they don’t have to be scared.”
To put patients and families at ease, Venessa asks what questions they have – then gets answers promptly. “I’ll bother whoever I need to – the doctor, the social worker – to get the answers, usually within the hour, so they know we’re paying attention.”
Venessa nurtures new (and student) nurses, too. Not long after she started, Med/Surg was short-staffed . . . on a new nurse’s first day on the floor. Venessa volunteered to orient her. “I knew how I felt when I first started,” she explains. “I didn’t want her to be unsure about things, so as new as I was, I thought, ‘I can precept you.’
“I love taking people under my wing and treating them the way I want to be treated.”
That teamwork goes both ways. “I’m still learning, and it’s great to be able to talk w other nurses about their experiences. They’re always willing to help. I love being part of this team.
“I hope everyone else can love their job as much as I love mine.”