Ramonan Named ‘ER Nurse of the Year’ at Pomerado Hospital

By Laura Calverley

Judy Pitonyak loves being a nurse and she loves working at Pomerado Hospital, where she has filled a much-needed role in the emergency room for the past three years.

“The Pomerado ER is fantastic,” Pitonyak said. “It’s a great group of doctors, nurses, secretaries, technicians and managers. It’s a great team.”

Her caring and dedication were recognized last month when she was named Nurse of the Year for the Emergency Room Department.

“I was very surprised and very honored,” she said.

Each hospital department nominates one person for Nurse of the Year, and nominees are voted on by their peers to decide a department winner. A Nurse of the Year for the entire hospital also is chosen, from the department winners.

When it comes to nursing, Pitonyak most enjoys the teamwork with other nurses, helping patients and interacting with the families.

“The nurses at Pomerado ER are very compassionate, caring and skilled,” she said. “It’s like a family there. I really enjoy going to work.”

She especially likes working with older people, because “you always seem to learn something from them.”

“They have acquired such wisdom and experience and have great insight into life,” Pitonyak said.

The many different areas of nursing and available opportunities appeal to her.

“You can work in a doctor’s office, as a school nurse, in different departments of a hospital, or in research,” she said.

Pitonyak, who became a Registered Nurse about five years ago, worked for seven years as a Licensed Vocational Nurse in the Med-Search Telemetry Department, where medical and surgical patients are on heart monitors.

Pomerado Hospital held a luncheon in May to honor the Nurses of the Year and present them with certificates of recognition. The hospital’s chief administrator, department managers and Nurses of the Year attended the luncheon.

“At the lunch, they read what was written about us in the nominations,” Pitonyak said. “It brought a tear to my eye.”

Pitonyak doesn’t like to focus on herself but she couldn’t say enough good things about working at Pomerado Hospital and staff members at the ER.

“Everyone I work with, they’re all dedicated and enjoy their work,” she said. “The whole hospital is great, from Housekeeping to Dietary; everyone is great to work with. It makes your day so enjoyable when you work with people like that.”

Pitonyak didn’t always want to work in healthcare, however. At one time, she applied for a job as a flight attendant.

Originally from Chicago, she decided to join a friend and enroll in a yearlong LVN program — during which she discovered that she liked nursing. She graduated from the LVN program in 1974.

She and her husband-to-be moved from Chicago to Ramona in 1993.

After seven years as a LVN in the Med-Search Telemetry Department, Pitonyak decided to further her career. After receiving her associate degree in general education, she enrolled in San Diego City College’s “step-up” program to become a Registered Nurse. She graduated in 2000 and received her nursing license shortly thereafter.

“While I was attending general ed classes, my husband Gary was very supportive,” Pitonyak said. “I couldn’t have done it without him.”

She has seen the role of nurses change over the years.

“Nursing used to be just RNs and LVNs and the focus was on team nursing,” Pitonyak said. “Now, nurses have more responsibility. The focus is now on primary care and there is more collaboration between doctor and nurse, especially in the ER.”

Experts agree there is a shortage of qualified nurses in the United States and the situation is expected to worsen. According to 2004 projections from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than a million new and replacement nurses will be needed by 2012.

Pitonyak is looking forward to another luncheon that Pomerado Hospital will hold in June to honor the Nurses of the Year, at the Chart House in Cardiff-By-The-Sea.

Nowadays, Pitonyak’s family and job keep her busy. She has three children, David, 20, Rachel, 19, and Matthew, 12. David is pursuing a degree in engineering while working at Barona Casino. Matthew will graduate from sixth grade and enjoys baseball and guitar.

And soon, there will be another nurse in the Pitonyak family. Daughter Rachel just finished her associate degree and has been accepted at the Point Loma Nazarene Nursing Program.