Sarah Williams is a clinical nurse manager at Doey’s House, an inpatient facility that offers symptom management and emotional and spiritual care to Hospice of Washington County patients. She joined the HWC care team in 2021. Sarah manages an interdisciplinary care team and provides skillful, highly personalized care for each patient and family member she serves. She was first inspired to become a nurse after volunteering at a combat hospital while serving in the U.S. military in Afghanistan. A decade later, she enrolled in nursing school. She learned about life-saving practices and intensive care, but she was drawn to hospice care. “I wanted to be able to educate people and just provide that comfort during a time that's also important—just as important as bringing a life into this world.” Sarah found the hospice environment to be emotionally intense and intimate. She also found it to be fraught with misconceptions. “I wish people would know that hospice is about more than dying," she says. “We provide a beautiful service.” Many people do not know about the symptom management that hospice provides to patients, she says, and the year-long bereavement care services for grieving family members Recently, Sarah was called to visit a hospital to assess a patient for admission. “When I walked into the room, I just knew that I arrived a little bit too late,” she says. The patient had died and was still surrounded by her family members. Sarah was not able to care for the patient, but she talked with her husband about the grieving process and services available to him "I was still able to provide that comfort to him in his time of need.” Outside of work, Sarah likes spending time with family, exercising and reading. She loves to spend time in Washington, D.C. especially going to Nationals games! |