Part three of our week-long series highlighting some of the amazing nursesĀ of the Nurse Alliance of SEIU Pennsylvania.

Within minutes of meeting Alana Bennett, LPN, the phrase that comes to mind most readily is āfull of life.āĀ
That obvious energy and enthusiasm serves her well in her assignment at Care Pavilion.
āI work on what we call a āstep-up unit,ā the short-stay rehabilitation unit,ā she explained. āSo basically the hospital unit of the facility.ā
While Alana moves through her day in the step-up unit with the passion of a person who has found her calling, her path to nursing was a more practical one for a woman with a young family.
āItās kind of funny,ā she said. āI chose nursing as a career because I knew that would always afford me a good job. Thatās originally why.ā
Nowadays itās a different story.
āBeing here now,ā Alana said. āI just find it overall rewarding and fulfilling. Ā Meeting people, seeing people go from being really ill to being healed, helping folks ā itās just overall rewarding.ā
Alanaās young family is now grownā two kids off at college ā and even growing. Sheās currently planning a July wedding with her fiancĆ©. Ā Despite the busy personal life, she still pours a lot of energy into her role as a caregiver. But itās clearly a role that gives back.
Despite the busy personal life, she pours a lot of energy into her role as a caregiver. But itās clearly a role that gives back.
āJust knowing you make that difference to somebody, to me thatās an amazing feeling,ā Alana said. āItās funny, because it also humbles you. You get to see things from a different standpoint. When you hear peopleās stories and see their struggles, it brings that perspective back to you.ā
Making that connection with her patients and residents is what she loves most about the job. Alana noted that most people go through their day being guarded with everyone, being careful about what they share and with whom. That dynamic can go out the window in a healthcare setting.
āWhen youāre with a patient and youāre one-on-one thereās a lot of trust there,ā Alana notes. āIāve had residents and patients who will chit chat with me and laugh and joke and then someone new will come in the room and suddenly mum’s the word.ā
While she loves the connections she makes, Alana points out that there are some not-so-great aspects of her work. One of them is universal.
āNot enough time in the day,ā she complained. āYou have patients, you have their specific needs and we tend to get task oriented ā just trying to get those tasks accomplished. But are we really fulfilling all their needs? That extra few minutes just to chat or say āOh thatās really nice!ā might really make a difference in someoneās life.ā
Outside of the step-up unit, Alana has another passion ā politics.
āI get very passionate about politics,ā she said. āItās kind of ironic ā nursing brought me to that. Iāve always liked politics, but just as a spectator sport. But because of nursing I realized how everything is connected to politics.ā
The reality of how politics affects our everyday lives is what drives Alana to get involved in canvassing and phone banking for candidates she supports and even knocking on doors to educate voters about important community issues.
Sheāll put her political passion into practice again on Tuesday, May 10 when she joins the Nurse Alliance and other caregivers in the Capitol in Harrisburg. Hundreds of supporters will be gathered for a day of action to call for safer staffing and passage of āthe Hospital Nursing Staff Report Card Act,ā a bill to legislate transparency in nurse staffing in Pennsylvania.
Alanaās zeal for politics is almost matched by her enthusiasm for the union.
āAll nurses should be union nurses!ā she proclaimed. āIām not just saying that being a union member. Iām saying that because of the nature of the job. We need that backup.Ā Just like we have our patient’s back. We are all patientsā advocates, but we need somebody to be our advocate. Itās a rough job. We definitely need backup.ā
And if thereās someone you would want to have your back, itās Alana Bennett, LPN.