At Northside Forsyth Hospital, Critical Care nurse Belinda Assin teaches and nurtures nurses “with a positive attitude and approach that is admirable,” said her nurse manager Sharon Freeman.
Freeman said that when Assin came to work at the Northside ICU in 2015, she noticed right away that her interpersonal and bedside clinical skills were exemplary. She asked her to serve as a preceptor.
In that role, Assin helps senior nursing students, those entering critical care nursing and experienced nurses new to Forsyth ICU. Her enthusiasm for nursing is evident.
“I’m a bedside nurse,” Assin said. “Bedside nursing is what I love most; to be in one location, taking care of them.”
Assin has been an RN since 1996 following her education and training in Tel Aviv, Israel. She became a critical care nurse in 2006. After working with some “fabulous” ICU nurses at another hospital, Assin decided she wanted to follow in their path and get training for this specialty.
“I absolutely love it,” Assin said of critical care nursing. “I love the challenge of it and the compassion of it. I love the autonomy of it and being part of the decision-making and treatment plans.
“I’m blessed to have a great team to work with; I’ve always been surrounded by that,” she added.
Assin is also part of Northside’s Advanced Competency Nurse Program, learning and maintaining competency in low volume, high-risk skills, such as CRRT (Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy), Rotoprone bed therapy, Intra Aortic Balloon Pumps and TTM (Targeted Temperature Management) after cardiac arrest.
During the summer, Assin takes her nursing skills to Camp Barney Mendez, a Jewish overnight summer camp for kids.
As head nurse, she’ll spend the year ordering supplies, securing staff, and setting policies and procedures. In June, she’s at the campsite in Northeast Georgia the entire time, overseeing the healthcare needs of thousands of campers and staff, including dispensing medications and staying in touch with parents.
“The Barney Mendez camp is special, to begin with, but the June session is when we have a group of special needs children as well as special needs adults who work with us, making it that much more special,” Assin said.
During July, Assin goes back and forth to the camp from her nursing job at Northside. She does all of this pro-bono; her kids get to attend camp for free in June, and she’s gets to be with them.
“It’s such a happy place that it’s just a thrill to be a part of it,” she said.
Said Freeman, “I am honored to work alongside this incredible nurse who gives so much of herself and her talent.”
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