(Second in a Series for National Nurses Month)
In this our second in a series on Saint Therese nurses during National Nurses Month, we meet Ruth Melchor, RN, who works in the transitional care unit (TCU) at Saint Therese of New Hope.
Ruth Melchor moved to the U.S. in 2005 from Cebu City, the Philippines, where she had been a nurse. Now a nurse for 25 years, she has been with Saint Therese for nine.
She was first attracted to nursing because she has a sister with special needs, and at a young age Ruth helped take care of her and wanted to become more knowledgeable about her condition and the care she needed. She subsequently, attended the University of San Carlos College of Nursing in Cebu City, to get her bachelor’s degree in nursing.
At New Hope, Ruth cares for about 12 residents on one wing of the TCU. She believes she makes a difference as a nurse because of her natural inclination to care for others and her compassion to provide the best care possible to those who are sick and their families.
“I treat my residents and their families with kindness and respect, and I educate and support them as they experience a stressful situation or a change in their condition,” she said.
Her hard work and dedication were recognized in April 2023 when Ruth was named Employee of the Month.
“Working in healthcare is very challenging,” she said. “You must have the heart to love what you’re doing. When patients are discharged home, they wave goodbye with a smile, and you see some sadness in their eyes because they have come to love you. It’s a bittersweet moment. But it feels good to be appreciated by residents and families. Most of all, it’s a rewarding feeling when you have witnessed their progress from the start to until they go home. For me, that is validation of why I became a nurse.”
When she’s not working, Ruth loves to spend time with her husband of 17 years and her daughter, gardening and taking road trips to interesting places. She also just enjoys staying home and binge watching Korean dramas on Netflix.