Employee Spotlight: Paula Schrock-Bending

Paula was in nursing school at Madonna University when she and her chemistry lab partner, Sister Mary Catherine, were working with combustible chemicals. As the two of them began mixing things, Paula teased, “Be careful, Sister. You’re going to get me killed and I’m afraid of dying.”

“Why are you afraid of dying?” Sister Mary Catherine asked. “You need to go over to see Sister Giovanni and start working for her at the Care Center. Put in an application.”

Paula thought about it and ended up applying for a position as a contingent nursing assistant. She was hired almost immediately. She continued working at Angela Hospice until she finished her nursing degree and took a full-time position at a nearby hospital. But she held onto her intention of being a hospice nurse. When a position opened up three years later, she applied right away, and has been working in the Care Center now almost 20 years.

“Why I stay is because it’s an honor and I love the challenge of symptom control. And I love the team concept as we come together to unify and find the best individualized care,” she said. “Every day is unique.”

When asked about that fear of death that started her on this journey, Paula reflected, “Studying medical stuff about the body and dying didn’t explain death.” But through her experience of working in hospice, she’s gained wisdom and understanding that have shaped her views. Now she realizes we’re never really alone. “If we saw someone close to death, we called someone to come sit with them. So they weren’t alone. And, as they are dying, they see someone in that in-between place and they are not alone. This idea that they are not alone physically and spiritually calmed my fears.”