MEMBER OF
THE MONTH
Lena Sutch, RN, CEN
Clinical Nurse II for the Adult and
Geriatric Emergency Department at
St. Agnes Hospital in Baltimore
Emergency nurse since October 2014
ENA member since May 2014
Maryland ENA State Council, Metropolitan
Baltimore ENA Chapter
Why did you decide to become an emergency
nurse?
My mom is an emergency room nurse, and I always loved to
hear her stories. I was a teenager when I decided I wanted to
pursue emergency nursing as a career path. I maintained my
focus on emergency nursing all throughout nursing school.
What do you enjoy most about your career?
I enjoy the fact every day I learn something new and get to
teach it to someone else, whether it’s my patient, his or her
family or another nurse. That feeling is mixed with the
adrenaline rush of fast-paced, lifesaving interventions I can do
with my own hands and also through the teamwork approach
with other nurses and doctors alike. All of the staff in the ED
works as a team, and our opinions are valued by our physician
colleagues.
How has your ENA membership helped you
reach your professional goals?
I joined as a student, went to a conference and handed my
now-manager my resume. The ability to connect with other
nurses on both personal and professional levels has helped
me to achieve all my goals. It also helps me learn what
problems are global with nursing and how we can work
together to change them. Another experience was the annual
conference where – to get an appreciation for the provider’s
job – I learned to do the things I can’t otherwise do at work. I
learned to intubate, insert a chest tube and perform
intraosseous infusions. In the cadaver lab, I felt what chronic
obstructive pulmonary disease does to the lungs. This makes
me a much better assistant for procedures and gives me a
better understanding of the mechanics of it all.
Do you have a mentor from ENA? How has
that person influenced you?
My mentor, as always, is my mom. She was president of the
Maryland ENA State Council last year and is president-elect
this year. She has pushed me to do more, further my education
with continuing education and advocate for nurses as a
delegate. She also helps me get through the tough days that
happen to all ED nurses.
Do you have any advice for other emergency
nurses?
There will be days that make you wonder why you chose such
a tough job. But holding someone’s hand as he or she regains
speech after TPA, at the moment a person’s family member is
brought back to life, or when she just had a baby on the street
makes all the hard days worthwhile. n
As told to Greg Bartlett, ENA Connection
Lena Sutch, left, and her mother, Carolyn H. Sutch, BSN, RN, CEN, who is
an RN IV at University of Maryland Shore Emergency Center at
Queenstown and president-elect of the Maryland ENA State Council.
