Janene Mason, LPN

Corporal Michael Crescenz VAMC, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 

NOVA Chapter 348

Janene Mason graduated in 2001 from the Burlington County Institute of Technology (BCIT) in New Jersey. Prior to graduation , she was a  nursing assistant in Rhode Island. Janene moved to New Jersey and worked as a unit clerk on a ventilator/medical surgical unit at Our Lady of Lourdes in Camden, NJ and a telemetry unit at Robert Wood Johnson in Hamilton, NJ. Janine recalls “I loved telemetry; watching the electrical impulses and seeing them on the screen was fascinating to me.”  while working as a unit clerk, she took advantage of the education benefits available and obtained her LPN license.

After obtaining her licensure, Janene worked at St. Mary’s Hospital in Langhorne, PA on a 50-bed telemetry unit and in the Emergency Room (ER) at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center; a fast track area with an Emergency Severity Index (ESI) level 4 - 5 in the heart of West Philadelphia. She gained valuable clinical experience titrating heparin drips, drawing labs, interpreting EKG rhythm strips, providing patient education, administering medications, and assisting with codes. There were a lot of codes in the ER, and Janene wanted to help everyone in the department by increasing her competency so she spoke to her nurse manager about becoming ACLS certified. Her nurse manager supported her request and Janene became ACLS certified.

Janene left the ER at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center and came to the Philadelphia VA. She was hired for a telemetry unit and worked there for a year. Janene missed the ER, so she applied and was selected for a position in the ER at the Philadelphia VA. She continued in this position for 8 yrs. Janene then applied for a LPN position in Dermatology where she currently works. Janene, along with an attending provider, runs a Sculptra clinic. She also assists with biopsies and minor skin cancer surgeries, photographs lesions and uploads them into the computerized patient record system. Janene has received phototherapy training for various skin conditions like psoriasis, Cutaneous T-cell Lymphoma (CTC), vitiligo, and general itch, and applies patch testing. 

Janene is the Secretary of the NOVA Chapter 348 Board. She loves that NOVA empowers LPNs to have a voice to positively impact nursing practice and processes. Janene is honored to represent, mentor and advance LPNs who work at the VA.  Prior to the pandemic, Janene attended a NOVA webinar entitled: "How to Advance for LPNs''  The webinar empowered her to educate her nurse manager in ways that  LPNs can be promoted to a GS 7. The manager then shared this information with upper leadership and other personnel. When the pandemic hit, the push for this upgrade took a back seat. However, Janene received an email recently that the initiative to upgrade LPNs that qualify for GS-7 is in full effect. NOVA Chapter 348 President Eula Davis commented, “What Janene did is the perfect example of how NOVA empowers nurses to make a difference when you have the knowledge because knowledge is power.”