Jennifer Blaire Recognized as Notable Nurse

Day after day, Beaumont resident Jennifer Blaire gets the opportunity to help others and make them well. For her dedication to her career and to her kindness to her patients, Blaire, 29, was recently recognized by California State Senator Bill Emmerson (R-Redlands) and California State Assemblyman Mike Morrell (R-Rancho Cucamonga) as one of Loma Linda University Medical Center’s (LLUMC) Notable Nurses. Shifts differ from day to day, possibly starting off intensely, emotionally or “anywhere in between,” said Blaire, 29, who works in LLUMC’s Medical Intensive Care Unit. Working in Medical ICU is unique in that it allows her and other medical professionals in the department to work with patients who have “a wide range of conditions and degrees of sickness,” she said. But for Blaire, the most important part of her job is speaking with her patients and their families. Often it is hard for the families to see their loved one in such an intense state, she noted, hooked up to tubes and other machines during their care. She looks to ease the discomfort of the patients and ease the worries of the families. “I try my best to help the family understand what is going on. I spend as much time as they need to try and grasp what is happening and what these disorders and diseases mean. Communication is so important, and I know as the person at the bedside that I have the most time with the patient and the opportunity to educate the family and explain our team’s plan,” Blaire said. For Blaire, it’s important to treat her patients as if they were her own family, she noted. “I take the time to remind them that they are people and are not just patients,” she said. “It’s the small things that matter.” Blaire often spends one-on-one time with her patients by shaving their faces or braiding their hair. At 18, after her mother suggested that nursing might be the right career path for her, Blaire began her schooling. “After becoming a nurse, I became a nurse,” she said. “I know that sounds odd, but I went into nursing not knowing who I was or what I wanted. After caring for people and seeing what a difference a truly caring hand can make during the worst time in a person’s life, I became a nurse.” Her drive to care for others is just in her nature, she shared. “I can’t help but care for people inside and outside of work. I enjoy easing a person’s mind or helping them feel better. I am now a mother, and I see how my time as a nurse has prepared me for this role and shaped me into the woman I am today.” It’s this level of compassion that has earned her this and much other recognition throughout her career—Blaire in 2012 was recognized by her medical unit for displaying all of Loma Linda’s values: Teamwork, Compassion, Wholeness, Integrity and Excellence. That same year, she was also awarded by LLUMC with the Good Samaritan Award. Blaire received a promotion to the Clinical Nurse D, the highest level in nursing at LLUMC, the fourth nurse to do so. Among other recent accomplishments is receiving the DAISY Award in July 2013 for her compassion. “I am so thankful and honored to be recognized for my work as a nurse,” she said, crediting her fellow nurses for inspiring her to be where she is today. Blaire lives with her boyfriend of five years, Catarino, in Beaumont, where they have lived for four years and are raising their children, Avery, 2, and Charlie, 2 months. On the weekends, they also spend time with Catarino’s 6-year-old daughter, Sarah. “I am so glad that my mother led me into this profession,” she said. “Changing people’s lives, even for a day, brings me such joy. When I can make a person smile or laugh during the darkest time, I feel rewarded. Helping someone feel at peach by educating and sharing my knowledge is also very rewarding.” Blaire was also recognized alongside various other Inland Empire area nurses. Other LLUMC Nurses who were recognized include Tony Dharmaraj, Monique Edwards, Brenda Jerez-Aguilar, Hannah Li, Christina Niles and Amelia Tiefenthaler.