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Member Spotlight

Celeste McLaughlin, MS, RN, CNS Perioperative Nursing

Current Employment:        Harris County Hospital District

Position:                                Nursing Instructor II

Oversee educational opportunities for nursing staff, and orientation of new nurse employees.  Responsible for staff development in Geriatrics, Rehabilitation and LBJ EC areas; annual credentialing of current nurses; BCLS Instructor Trainer;  Member of coordinating group for e-learning at Harris County Hospital District.

ARN Member since:                      2003-4 (rejoin)

SETX Chapter Member since:    2003-4 (rejoin)

SETX Chapter ARN Involvement:       Research Committee (2005)

         Developed and Coordinated July 2004 monthly

         educational meeting.

Why did you decide to join SETX Chapter ARN?

Networking with professionals, and to gain new information in the field of rehabilitation.

Community Involvement:         Member of Houston Organization of Nurse Executives (past Board Member; By-Laws Chairperson; developed and coordinated 2-day Certification preparation course for Nursing Administration exam and half-day program on test-taking skills.)

                                                  Member of the Texas Gulf Coast Nursing Staff Development Organization.

Hobbies, Special Interests:   Celeste writes, “ I am an avid quilter – I love appliqué and piecing.  When not quilting, I play golf with my husband as much as possible, read and try new recipes." 

Previous Experience:       “ I began my career in a rehabilitation type environment (although not a “rehab” hospital) at the Hebrew Home for the Aged in Hartford, CT.  I spent much of my staff nurse career at the University of Connecticut Health Center on a post-surgical unit and in staff development.  I also worked clinically in discharge planning, utilization review, and cardiac rehabilitation in the acute arena and in Long Term Acute setting affiliated with a rehabilitation facility. 

What Rehabilitation Nursing Means to Me --- Addressing the Patient Holistically

“My first job in nursing was in a transitional type facility.  The patients we saw were coming to us from the acute and we intervened with them either going home, to the nursing home, rest home, or dementia unit within our same facility.  Today we would call this type of unit “long term acute care or a SNF”.  From there I went to a surgical unit at a tertiary medical center.  There I was fortunate to work with some of the brightest and best nurses I have known in my entire career.  This hospital was the first all primary nursing care hospital on the eastern coast of the US.  We were the teachers, care givers, discharge planners and truly the care coordinators for our patients and their families.  It was an environment that fostered care of the whole patient – physiological, psychosocial and spiritual.  The relationship between nurses, physicians, pharmacists, and therapists and other members of the team was truly collegial.  In this environment I, the nurse, was respected and valued as a member of the team.  I also believe that our patients were receiving true quality care.

In the acute care setting we only saw our patients for short periods and could just get them started on their way to rehabilitation.  The rehabilitation setting affords us the opportunity to provide that same multidimensional care over a much longer period and to truly impact the patient’s life function in a positive way.  For me, being able to take the team approach and address the patient holistically and also assist with they and their family’s needs and adjustment back to life is the crux of rehabilitation.  As primarily an educator now, I find it satisfying to prepare nurses and ancillary staff to do this.”                            

And on a last note:       “I am a mom of two boys (men now) and two stepdaughters.  My husband, Jack, and I have seven, soon to be eight grandchildren.  We are also owned by a wonderful mixed breed terrier named Sam.”

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