Thinking on your feet is a fundamental requirement for a nurse.
Emphasizing this, Ashley Sadlier has worked tirelessly to ensure that RNs and LPNs working for BAYADA Home Health Care – and beyond – get the top training in their industry. She most recently helped her company to become the first home-care agency in the state to use a simulation lab, which employs a number of real-time emergency scenarios.
“Our nurses not only have the skills to care for our clients, but are reacting appropriately and in a timely manner,” said Sadlier, who is director of the Rhode Island skilled pediatrics and adult nursing office for BAYADA in Providence.
In her ongoing efforts to educate, Sadlier has helped to establish a partnership with the New England Institute of Technology that enables student nurses to shadow their professional counterparts, and she is also working with BAYADA to structure the company’s first LPN and adult nursing RN residency programs.
But her educational endeavors extend far beyond the classroom. BAYADA’s state government affairs officer, she informs legislators on concerns in the field, and advocates for increased Medicaid reimbursement rates for the home health care segment. Boosted reimbursement rates will help increase pay rates for home health care nurses – and ultimately draw talent to companies that provide the much-sought-after service.
“Our biggest challenge is finding more nurses who want to join our team of compassionate caregivers,” she said. “We have more families needing help than we have nurses.”
Ultimately, though, Sadlier remains humble about her professional achievements, saying that no effort of hers has been a solo one.
“This work is much bigger than any one of us,” she said, describing her colleagues as passionate and open to new experiences and challenges.
“They are some of the most dedicated, knowledgeable and compassionate nurses I have ever met. I am honored to work with such a great group,” Sadlier said. •
