Page 5 - Hawaii Island MidWeek - May 11, 2022

FROM PAGE 4
HAWAI‘I ISLAND MIDWEEK COVER STORY
MAY 11, 2022
HAWAI‘I ISLAND MIDWEEK 5
Jasmin Pacheco, RN
Tayler Rex, RN Wilcox Medical Center
JPali Momi Medical Center
asmin Pacheco was born
bulance arrived,” Pacheco recalls. “The EMTs told me that if I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life, I should go into the medical field because the boy was alive because of me.
ly give it all I had to become a nurse,” she confesses. “I had four children before I was 25, so I waited un-
ayler Rex is prob- ably one
to be a nurse. It just took
of the few people
around who can
say they work
in the same
place where they entered the world.
her a while to recognize the signs.
“I needed to be in and out of the hospital several times and developed an admiration for the nurses and physicians who treated me,” recalls Rex. “Every time I’d go in for an X-ray or CT scan, or to the Emergency Department, I felt safe when I was with them, and I wanted to be that for other people.”
“I stayed with him and kept him awake until the am-
“I had to dig deep and real-
To those considering a career in nursing, Pacheco simply says, “Trust your gut. Don’t second-guess yourself because your intuition sets the day.”
After graduating from the nursing pro- gram at Kaua‘i Community College, she joined the staff at Wilcox Medical Center, where she has spent the last two-and-a-half years working as a registered nurse.
Noelani Comorposa, RN
The first indication that she was bound for the medical field came when she was a 16-year-old lifeguard and had to perform CPR on a 12-year- old boy in distress.
“He needed multiple sur- geries but he lived, and we’re still friends to this day.”
til my youngest was in preschool before going to nursing school.
“I was born at Wilcox (Medical Center) and discovered that some of my bosses start- ed working at Wilcox the same year I was born,” she reveals. “How cool is that?!”
“It was the first time I was exposed to someone experi- encing a medical crisis,” she remembers. “I realized that I don’t panic. Everything goes calm and I can focus.”
For years, Pacheco ignored her instincts and these signs, despite acknowledging that “God kept putting people and situations in front of me to guide my path.” Eventu- ally, however, she realized she could no longer deny the obvious. Ready to finally be- come what she was always meant to be, Pacheco enrolled in Hawai‘i Pacific Universi- ty’s School of Nursing, where she graduated in 2018.
“I remember studying with my baby on my shoulder and reading from anatomy books to my three older children. I learn better through teaching, so I would tutor people so I could master that class. But it was a way to get done what I need- ed to while spending time with my family.”
fers to as her “community hospital” not only fulfills her dream of working in an op- erating room, but places the Pearl City native in a position to help guide young people looking for direction — and maybe even signs — regard- ing their futures.
Of course, Rex’s connection to the Kaua‘i hospital goes even deeper, because her in- terest in nursing was first birthed there, too. At age 13, she was involved in a motorcy- cle accident that required a splenectomy and follow-up care.
The second hint came during high school prom when, following a fight that broke out between several at- tendees, she assisted a young man left with multiple stab wounds.
These days, Pacheco is grateful to be working at Pali Momi Medical Center, where she recently completed her first year as a perioperative nurse. Finding employment at a place she fondly re-
She says she enjoys all roles in nursing, including critical care, but her passion these days is in postpartum care for mothers and babies — and there’s good reason why. Rex is pregnant with her first child, a daughter, and is due to give birth in October.
A
ipino-American household, Noelani Comorposa grew to treasure qualities such as sacrifice and personal indus- try. Her parents epitomized these values after emigrating from the Philippines and were willing to work long hours or hold down multiple jobs just to give their children the op- portunities they never had.
Straub Medical Center
s the eldest of three daughters raised in a first-generation Fil-
much money, they helped me pay for college so I could earn my degree in nursing.”
love with it,” she says. “Many heart conditions are chronic, so we see patients regularly and build relationships with them. Knowing that what we do has such an impact
“Ever since I was a kid, I wanted to work with babies and be a mom,” she acknowl- edges. “It’s such a special time for the intro- duction of new life ... it’s so beautiful. Peo- ple remember their delivery nurse. I aspire to be a part of that transition for the families.”
Grateful for her parents’ example and sacrifice, Co- morposa entered the medical profession 16 years ago and never looked back. Indeed, she was intent on following in her parents’ footsteps by working long and hard in the service of others.
on their lives, and being able to see them through it, is truly rewarding.”
you haven’t cried.”
For those willing to join
Rex also welcomes those considering a career in nursing and encourages them to “always have an open mind” and to “trust your gut!” Just as importantly, she hopes they remain intellectually curious and, ahem, pregnant with ideas.
“Their belief in hard work was instilled in me and my sisters,” explains Comorposa. “My parents’ top priority for their children was education, so although we didn’t have
For the past 11 years, she’s been employed as a registered nurse in Straub’s Cardiac Elec- trophysiology Clinic. It’s a job she wouldn’t change for the world.
While her parents remain her inspiration, Comorposa has other heroes, too, includ- ing her fellow registered nurse at Straub, Phyllis Kamada.
this vital profession, Comor- posa has the following advice: “Start working in the hospitals while you’re in college, so you can get a feel of nursing early. Also, communicate, take good notes, don’t be afraid to speak up if you need help and never stop learning.”
“New science is coming out all the time, so you need to be open to learning, practic- ing and evolving because you’re never going to stop learning something new,” she says.
“I never imagined myself in cardiac care, but I fell in
“She introduced me to the world of electrophysiolo- gy, mentored me and made me cry a few times,” says Comorposa. “But honestly, you haven’t been a nurse if
And, like Comorposa, never stop working hard.
SEE PAGE 7