Vanessa Coronel, BSN, RN

VA Boston Healthcare System

Boston, MA

NOVA Emeritus Member Denise Dulude was one of the first nurses to come out of retirement and olunteer to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. This article will highlight her nursing background at the VA and why she heeded the call to fight this pandemic.

Background

Denise began her VA nursing career in the 1980s. She started as a staff nurse on a neurology floor and later became the Nurse Manager for neurology’s stroke center. Her progression in the clinical and leadership ladder has been impressive- being the nurse manager for several units including Emergency Department, Cardiac Care Unit and Outpatient Specialty Clinics. In her 37-year career in nursing, Denise has been known to be a great mentor to staff, nurse managers and associate chief nurses. 

Reasons for Choosing VA

Back in the 1980s, the VA offered to excuse all federal student loans for nurses who worked for two years. As a new nurse faced with student loan payments, Denise considered this a good deal. After two years, she had grown to really appreciate serving the Veterans. Denise shared that “The Veterans truly appreciate you- they have this authenticity that is very hard to describe. The VA is more than just a hospital for our Veterans- it is a meeting place or more like a second home for them. They look forward to interacting with fellow Veterans and they feel true appreciation as reflected by the quality of care that the VA provides. It is only the VA that truly knows our Veterans and how to provide the specialized care that they deserve.” 

Nursing Platform of Increasing Vaccinations

In early 2000, Denise was the Patient Care Coordinator in the acute care setting. Being on the night tour, she noticed that nurses did not have access for vaccination and other employee health resources. Typically, employee health was only open during weekdays. Denise began to vaccinate nurses during her leadership rounds. She worked closely with Infection Prevention and after three years, had recruited more nurses to join her in vaccinating the frontline staff. Denise added additional services such as tuberculosis testing and personal protective equipment fitting. In 2010, she spearheaded process improvement projects to increase flu vaccination among Veterans. Hence, Denise is well known at the VA Boston as the original flu fighter.

Denise Dulude administering flu shot to the VA Secretary Robert McDonald in October 2014.

As a Halloween treat. Denise Dulude and Sue Shannon are offering flu shots to employees and Veterans via the rolling flu cart in 2015.

Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic in Nursing

In her 37-year career, Denise has been involved with several disaster response initiatives (Post-9/11, Measles Outbreak, TB Exposure, and Boston Marathon Bombing), however Denise has not seen anything like the COVID-19 pandemic. Although, she can totally relate to the pandemic’s impact in nursing. The majority of the frontline staff dealing with this pandemic are nurses and are putting their own safety at risk and they worry for their own families as well. They are juggling their commitment to providing care and other priorities which is a huge burden and can create a lot of stress. 

VA Boston’s Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic

VA Boston has a robust process in ensuring that frontline staff have the appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE). As part of the COVID 19 Incident Management Team’s Personal Protective Equipment Staff, Denise has been spearheading efforts to ensure that frontline staff have the knowledge, competencies and resources to utilize proper PPE appropriately. Her duties include working with the PPE Support Staff to facilitate the proper use of PPE, track inventory and usage levels and visual inspection of VA staff for proper PPE (as shown in the picture below). VA Boston continues to work with other VAs and the private sector to ensure the appropriate PPE par levels. Mitigation strategies are also in place in anticipation of the COVID-19 surge. 

Denise Dulude in PPE rounds with Nicole Condon checking if frontline staff have the appropriate PPE.

Lessons Learned from a Pandemic  

Denise had three words to say: “Communicate, communicate, communicate. Nurse Leaders need to ensure transparency of information.” Denise mentioned that the VA Boston conducts weekly town hall meetings where executive leadership has an open forum with all employees. Employee Assistance Program (EAP), a confidential program helps VA employees work through various life challenges that may adversely affect their job performance, health or personal well-being. Located on all three campuses, EAP is a helpful resource for employees who find themselves overwhelmed by the pandemic. The Holistic Committee offers meditation and relaxation classes. Most importantly, the VA nursing culture of teamwork persists. As Denise has mentioned: “We are all in it together and we shall overcome this.”

Reason for Coming Out of Retirement to Help Fight Covid-19

Denise mentioned that she goes where help is needed. Perhaps it is inherent in nursing to help others. Denise may have retired but one could ever take the nurse out of Denise. Thank you, Denise, for your dedication to our Veterans and Happy Nurses Week!