December 12, 2024
“A Career of Care”
By: Sara Ergott
Nursing is a career that takes patience, skill, and empathy. The profession is built on continuous learning, as nurses must adapt to evolving healthcare needs. One area resident that has been on both the learning and educating sides of nursing is Denise Gieski. A Susquehanna County resident, she has strong ties to the old Tyler Memorial Hospital as her grandmother, Evelyn Otto, was a longtime volunteer for the hospital from 1982-1993. While attending Lakeland High School, Denise began to think about her future career. It was her grandmother, Evelyn, that suggested Denise go to Marywood University to be a nurse. Thus, Denise’s path began into a field which would ultimately become her passion.
Upon graduating from Marywood, Denise hoped to work at Tyler, but sadly, at the time there were no openings. She took a job at Allied Services in Scranton for a few months. During this time, she married her husband, Walt, and moved to Susquehanna County. While she enjoyed working at Allied, she still felt a strong calling to be in a hospital setting. This wish finally came true when, in the fall of 1986, Tyler Hospital had an opening on the medical surge unit. The medical surge unit is a nursing department where the general population goes to receive care for various medical concerns. Denise’s path was clear.
Her first position in med surge provided her with a wealth of learning. The older nurses on the staff took Denise under their wings and taught her much more than textbooks ever could. The med surge team was known for being very friendly and very personable. The team took great pride in their work and the care of the patients. When asked what it was like working on this floor, Denise responds, “I felt very connected to my coworkers. It felt like you could depend on each other. There was nothing that we couldn’t take care of working together. There was such a commitment of the employees to serve the people we got to serve.”
This type of commitment was not lost on Denise. When working with the pediatric population, there was a very sick child that had to be placed inside a croup tent. The child was terrified and did not want to get into the tent, so Denise knew what she had to do. She climbed right up into the tent and had the child follow her in. She was able to calm the child’s fears and provide the needed care to get the child back to health.
Although Denise’s roles changed throughout the years during her tenure at Tyler Hospital, her commitment to care never wavered and she states that, “I loved taking care of family and friends.” Fast forward to 2014, where her career path in nursing took on a new angle as she began the role of the Practical Nursing Program Coordinator for Susquehanna County Career and Technology Center. This role put her in charge of recruitment, accreditation, teaching, and overseeing clinical rotations. She states, “Never in my life did I envision nursing education as a career, but I love it. It is nice to share my knowledge and passion to the students that are just starting out in the field.”
This new era in her career has continued to grow her passion for the nursing profession and given her an opportunity to pour herself into her students like the nurses from Tyler Hospital had done for her all those years ago. She oversees the students who take part in the one-year program that Susquehanna County Career and Technology Center (SCCTC) provides. This program begins in July with all classes taking place on campus at the center and then clinicals taking place off campus two days a week. There are grants that offer full and partial scholarships. Students who go through the program are eligible to take a licensure exam to become a licensed practical nurse (LPN) from any state. With this new career pathway, Denise reflected, “I am hoping to be able to provide more nurses to our area. I am also excited to expand what is going on at the Wyoming County Healthcare Center by providing clinical opportunities for our nursing program students.” This is a full circle moment to be training the next generation of nurses back in the building where it all began. Denise’s nursing journey has truly been a career of care.
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