From nurse aide to director of nursing, Madonna’s senior RN clinical supervisor has worn many hats

A career in nursing isn’t just a job, it’s a calling. For Melissa Schmaderer, RN, BSN, MHA, CRRN,?Madonna’s senior RN clinical supervisor, the call came 21 years ago.

“Nursing was not my original profession,” Schmaderer said. “I was actually a business major. I have multiple family members and my husband has multiple family members that work in health care, so I just thought, ‘Gosh, they work 12-hour shifts so they get multiple days off a week. They get to wear comfy clothes. This sounds like a career I would really like.’ I ended up switching to nursing and the rest is history!”

Her career started at Madonna back in 2003, when she signed up for Madonna’s CNA course to get more experience in health care before starting nursing school. In 13 years of total service with Madonna, Schmaderer has held a wide range of positions.

“The nursing profession is so vast, and there are so many opportunities,” Schmaderer said. “I’ve been a nurse aide, a nurse, and a nurse educator. I was also [in] nursing leadership. I’ve been a supervisor; I’ve been a director of nursing. There are so many different avenues that if you’re not really enjoying one certain area, there are so many different specialties and so many different things that you can do.”

Part of what brings Schmaderer back to Madonna throughout her career is the people.

“It is the relationships, the comradery and teamwork,” Schmaderer said. “I think it’s also those familiar faces. There are still people in Madonna’s workforce that worked in Lincoln when I was there 21 years ago. For example, Terasa Farlin, our VP of Patient Care was a weekend supervisor when I was a CNA on the spinal cord unit. I worked with her 21 years ago, and now we work together again, so it’s just seeing those familiar faces.”

In her current role, Schmaderer demonstrates Madonna’s core values of hospitality, respect and teaching every single day. She oversees training for new nurses during their orientation and rounds daily with staff to provide support. Her goal is to foster a culture of caring, where nurses feel valued for the work they do and their concerns are validated. She also tries to get to know each employee on a personal level.

“It’s really getting to know those staff that do our frontline care for our patients,” Schmaderer said. “How was their weekend? Or maybe they have a kids’ activity going on. My favorite part is having those interactions and building those personal relationships.”