WINNEMUCCA -Staff members at Humboldt General Hospital reluctantly said good-bye last October to a nurse they agree has been a standard bearer for premium care at the local facility.
Nurse Supervisor Sandy Sturm will be touring the country with her husband in a motor home, a long-time dream the two have been planning for many years.
But Sturm said she was leaving with mixed feelings. "This has been a great opportunity for me; it's been exciting," she said. "I will miss everyone so much."
Sturm's official retirement on Oct. 17 closed out a 38-year nursing career that Sturm said has been filled with excitement, and change.
"Back then there was no AIDS, no hepatitis C, and all the IVs were glass," she remembers. "We weren't even allowed to wear gloves to change a colostomy bag because it was considered an insult to the patient."
Humboldt General Hospital CEO/Administrator Jim Parrish told a group gathered to celebrate Sturm's retirement that Sturm helped establish a hierarchy of nursing leadership at the hospital that has also changed the way patient care takes place.
"Sandy was the cornerstone of that," he said. "We should call this the 'Sandy Sturm Award,'" he said, handing Sturm a plaque acknowledging her years with HGH. "She deserves a lot of praise."
HGH Director of Nurses Darlene Bryan said she was thoroughly impressed with Sturm's resume when she applied to the facility five years ago. "She was coming from Kaiser. She was an ICU director there and her application looked great," said Bryan.
Still, Bryan wondered how successful Sturm would be transitioning from such a large medical system to a small rural hospital in northern Nevada.
"So I called her references," she said. "One of the people who worked with Sandy said she's one of those people who, if she gets lemons, will make lemonade, and she did that," said Bryan.
She added, "We really joke about who is going to fill Sandy's shoes, but seriously, who will?"
Bryan and others teased the retiree that given any project or problem - no matter how overwhelming or time-consuming - come morning, following Sturm's nightshift, Sturm was always closing in on a solution.
"It was because we have such a great staff!" quipped Sturm to her co-workers. "It was because we had such a great example," quipped another back.
Sturm was presented with a plaque commemorating her five years of dedicated service to Humboldt General Hospital, a bouquet of flowers and a check for $500, representing $100 for each year of her service.
Friends and co-workers also showered Sturm with a bevy of gifts and cards. The group enjoyed refreshments prepared by the HGH kitchen staff, as well as plenty of photos, which were downloaded to a digital frame that Sturm will carry with her on her journeys.
"I used to think, 'Someday I'll retire,'" mused Sturm. "It's hard to believe that day is here."
She added, "I wish all of you the best."
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