Nursing Testimonials

Sheryl Leary, RN, MS, CCNS, CCRN, PCCN
Clinical Nurse Specialist for Progressive Care

Sheryl Leary loves to learn, and to teach. As Clinical Nurse Specialist for Progressive Care at SVMHS since August 2006, she gets ample opportunity for both. “Sheryl is not only an excellent and well-received instructor for a variety of nurse education programs at SVMHS, she is an exemplary role model,” says Judy Snyder, RN, BC, MS, Director of Education/Patient Care Systems. “She always explains the evidence based rationale for her patient care recommendations, creating a hands-on, enduring learning experience for our nurses.

”As the wife of a Naval officer, Sheryl’s career has taken her to several states. “Working with people in many different locations and situations has broadened my understanding and made me a better nurse,” says Sheryl. “I try to glean the best information from each experience.”

As a teenager in Rhode Island, her mother thought she needed a little “focus” and secured her a job as a nurse’s aide at a nursing home. “I just loved it,” Sheryl remembers, “and knew right then that nursing was my life’s calling.” She went on to graduate from Providence’s St. Joseph Hospital School of Nursing in 1986, earned her BSN in 1993 at CSU, Dominguez Hills, Carson, CA and received her MSN as a Critical Care Clinical Nurse Specialist from San Diego State University in 1996. She has earned a number of certifications and plans to purse a PhD.

In addition to developing and facilitating evidence based practice and post-op classes, a professional development series, Nursing Clinical Grand Rounds and other education programs, she also started the local chapter of the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses. The AACN recognized her for her leadership and she was nominated to be a member of the national AACN Board of Directors. She recently updated and submitted the manuscript for a classic resource for critical care nursing—the Gastrointestinal Disorders and Therapeutic Management chapter of Thelan’s Critical Care Nursing: Diagnosis and Management, 6th edition.

In her “off” hours, Sheryl enjoys being an active Cub Scout leader and speaking at senior naval officers’ leadership courses about health and wellness. She cherishes time with her husband and two sons, and staying fit by walking and hiking. And, of course, learning.

Margie Butz, RN, BSN, CCRN
Intensive Care Unit

Margie Butz always wanted to pursue a college education. But shortly after high school, she decided to marry and start a family. Waiting for the youngest of her three children to start school, she decided to enroll at Hartnell after she and her family moved to Salinas in 1983. “I enjoy science and as a parent, I had plenty of ‘nurturing’ experience,” says Margie. “When I took a few science classes, it all came together. I knew I wanted to be a nurse.” She was 40 years old when she fulfilled that dream.

After graduating from Hartnell’s nursing program in 1991 (as Valedictorian!), Margie joined our ICU staff. “SVMH and Hartnell offered us hands-on clinical experience by providing an 8-week rotation in the ICU,” she says. “That inspired my confidence and a desire to work as a critical care nurse.”

Long before the idea of Magnet status was born, SVMH promoted and encouraged mentoring, both formally and informally. “My friend and co-worker LeRinh Worth, RN, MSN, CCRN and a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, has been my mentor and inspiration for many years,” says Margie, “especially in 2001 when I was preparing for Staff Nurse III certification. By example and through training, she teaches, motivates and shares her knowledge and critical thinking skills with all ICU/CCU nurses, helping us to achieve our highest level of performance.” The mentoring relationship is common at SVMH today.

After working in the unit for 10 years, Margie enrolled in San Jose State University’s BSN program. “When I completed the program, I was proud that I had realized my dream,” she says. “And the learning continues.”

As ICU nurses care for a patient population that is increasingly more critically ill, technology allows us to provide safer, more advanced care. “The nurses in our unit bring their experience, judgment and critical thinking to the bedside,” says Margie. “One of the most important things to me is that our nurses really see the patient in the midst of all the technology. That is the key to the future of critical care nursing.”

Shawna Helmuth, RN III, IBCLC
Director of Lactation Services

Shawna Helmuth, RN, 2007 Nurse of the Year, joined the hospital’s nursing staff in June 1988 shortly after graduating from MPC. Starting out on the second floor in gynecology, she transferred to labor and delivery as soon as an opening became available. There, she was cross-trained to work in labor and delivery, GYN and OB operating and recovery.

“I love families, birth, labor and delivery,” says Shawna. “Facing my own challenges with breast feeding after the birth of my first child, I wanted to help other moms.” And she dedicated herself to that effort. She completed the Certified Lactation Educator program through UCLA in 1994. “Lactation became even more important to me so I completed the process and became an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant in 2000. To me, this certification is as important as my nursing degree.”

The Lactation Services Program was launched in 2002 and Shawna is now its director. In addition to working with mothers in the hospital, she facilitates a weekly support group and serves as a trainer and consultant to physicians, nurses and other staff. She has participated in the Monterey County Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies Breast Feeding Promotion Committee since 2000 and has been the co-chair for nearly two years. The community-wide effort involves well over 200 people dedicated to promoting breast feeding in Monterey County. She is also spearheading an effort to gain a Baby Friendly Hospital designation for Salinas Valley Memorial, a designation held by only 55 hospitals in US. In July 2005, Salinas Valley Memorial received its Certificate of Intent acknowledging a commitment to promote and protect breast feeding and attachment for women and families who deliver at our hospital.

“Women, especially first-time mothers, need support and information,” says Shawna. “When they have questions, we want to help them find the answers so they can be confident and successful in breast feeding their babies.”

Jeremy Hadland, RN

Catch a wave. That’s what 28-year-old Jeremy Hadland, RN does every chance he gets. Growing up in Santa Cruz just a few blocks from the beach, he was introduced to surfing by his father at an early age. “When I was about six, my dad and I would go to the beach,” says Jeremy. “At first, he pushed me around on board, but I was able to stand up pretty quickly. And then I was hooked.”

Today, he hangs ten in the waters off Santa Cruz, Monterey, Carmel and Big Sur a few times each week. And when vacation time rolls around, he travels the world in search of the perfect swell. “When I’m out in the water, the world stops and I feel relaxed and at peace. And that carries over into every aspect of my life.”

Jeremy graduated from nursing school at MPC and joined our staff as a nurse in the ER in 2001. He was promoted to nursing supervisor in 2004.