The nursing profession can be demanding and fast-paced, but for most clinicians, the work is extremely rewarding. There are many reasons why people are driven to become nurses, but most agree that their raison-d’être is “the opportunity to make a real difference in someone’s life.” At CareOne, we understand that purpose is what brings our clinicians to work every day, and we strive to create a healthy workplace environment for our nurses where those relationships can flourish.
The CareOne Difference
The difference we make is not just our standard to deliver excellence in medical care (though that is integral to what we do) — it is our commitment to providing care with the utmost respect, warmth, and compassion. This commitment extends beyond how we care for our residents; it is also evident in the long-lasting relationships our clinicians and employees cultivate with our residents and patients. More importantly, our people – the committed clinicians, administrators, and staff across more than 50 locations – drive our mission forward and personify what we call the CareOne Difference.
Caregivers with Heart
Our workforce is diverse and multicultural, and despite being from all walks of life, they have a shared goal of providing our residents and patients with the highest quality of care. This is what sets us apart – the commitment our clinicians and staff have to our patients is our guiding principle. “This work I do – it’s a calling,” says Gitana Garbich, Assistant Director of Recreation at CareOne at Wayne. “I have been at CareOne for four years, working mainly in the memory care unit. These residents have so much love to give and so many stories to tell. It’s so easy to be a good person with them.”
The relationships formed at our facilities – particularly between our nurses and residents – play a profound role in how rewarding this work can be. It’s the primary reason why CareOne’s turnover rate is among the lowest in the country. Our employees stick around – some for over 50 years – because of the bonds they form with patients and the sense of purpose their work brings them. “My team has been together a long time and we are very collaborative. It’s really incredible to work for an organization that will give me and my team the support we need to provide the best care,” says Terri Ruffo, RN, BSN, and current building administrator for CareOne at Holmdel.
In turn, CareOne is committed to creating an environment for clinicians where they feel supported in every facet of their work. In addition to on-the-job training and various opportunities for career advancement, CareOne supports nurses who want to experience working in different specialties and with different patient groups in other CareOne facilities.
The Impact of a Caring Culture
For our nurses, the feeling is mutual. Mary Beth Rose, RN and dementia care specialist at two of CareOne’s assisted living facilities in Livingston and Parsippany, said, “When you work with dementia patients, it takes a village. Working with the families is an integral part of that – we cannot be successful without family support.” In long-term care, nurses, residents and their families form long-lasting bonds: “The residents become part of my family and I become part of theirs.”
By prioritizing a compassionate culture, CareOne’s nurses have the physical and emotional capacity to provide the highest level of care to their patients and create a ripple effect of positive change. In our skilled nursing and rehab facilities, we have the pleasure of seeing patients regain their mobility, reunite with their spouses and children and ultimately go home healthy and able to continue celebrating life’s most precious milestones and memories. This is all in thanks to our devoted nurses, who, parallel to our patients’ recovery and progress, are our greatest accomplishments.
The Straus family founded CareOne with the mission to reinvent how we care for our aging population, which is fundamental to the health of our society. We help people age with dignity in a variety of settings – from independent and assisted living to sub-acute and long-term acute care – with the help of state-of-the-art technology and high-quality medical treatment.
Director of Nursing at Harmony Village at CareOne at Paramus, Blanca Valle said, “I love seeing how the residents’ faces light up when we do activities or to see the women get excited when I wear heels for the day. It’s the little things that make residents happy that make me happy as well.”
To learn more about our nurses and open positions, go to CareOne’s Careers page.