“How can I be rewarded for a profession I truly love? Teaching my geriatric patients and their families is a privilege," says Georgia Hazlett
Georgia's long nursing career began in 1988. She received her nursing degree with a concentration in geriatrics and worked as a float floor nurse working between UMHS main hospital and Mott. She also held positions in home care and physician compliant auditing. Auditing gave her the opportunity to travel within the United States meeting with various medical facilities and providers, nursing staff, financial, and legal departments. Examining the various facilities and their operations contributed to her ability in developing best practices.
In 2005 Georgia was hired into her current position as a clinical nurse in the Turner Geriatric Clinic. In 2013 she was received the Daisy Award. The award recognized Georgia's “A clinical skills and compassion she provided to her patients every day.
When asked what keeps her at the Geriatric Clinic, Georgia stated, "My patients and their families, my co-workers who are made up of clerical staff, medical assistants, social workers, skilled nurses, and our dedicated, wonderful providers. This makes me want to continue this position after 17+ years."
"My position enables me to use my clinical and teaching skills face to face with patients in the clinic and also to formulate intricate care plans for our very special patient population. The families are also a good portion of a geriatric nurse’s job description. This could be supporting them in caring for their geriatric family member who has multiple complex diagnoses, to holding their hand when their loved one dies. Caring and having my elderly mother live with us for 10 years developed my compassion for my patients and their families. I am able to teach what I lived and learned dealing with dementia, hospice, and end-of- life care."
Georgia is also thankful to her family. "Without them none of this would have happened. My husband, my four daughters, four son-in- laws, and fourteen grandchildren continue to support me as a wife, mother, grandmother, and as a nurse who continues to love this profession."