Weekend Rx

There is no way to predict on a Sunday at Yale Health Acute Care how the day will unfold. Kathleen Haley has started her week there since 2018 when she joined the university as a registered nurse (RN) after working for years at Yale New Haven Hospital’s Shoreline Emergency Department.

“We’re the only Yale Health department open on a Sunday — there’s no pharmacy or radiology — so we’re the clinical staff on hand,” Haley explained. “I usually serve as lead nurse and work with a great team that includes two registered nurses, a medical assistant, and a clinical receptionist.”

Patients arrive as walk-ins or call to speak with one of the nurses, who triage over the phone. Haley and her team provide advice, home care instructions, or direct patients to the emergency department, if necessary. Emergency room doctors from Yale New Haven Hospital rotate into acute care and see weekend patients.

“People are reassured knowing they can call or walk in if they need to,” added Haley. “Whatever comes in, we can deal with it, and I like that we can have a positive effect on people by caring for them outside of a hospital setting.”

During the week, Haley works in internal medicine assessing the medical needs of Yale employees who call in. Yet wherever she triages, she remembers the importance of listening. “You may have to direct the conversation, but more often than not, important information comes from listening to someone talk,” she said. “It’s a balance you learn through experience.”

“Kathleen does a fantastic job as our lead RN on weekends,” noted Jeff Stay, clinical manager of Acute Care. “She makes sure the clinic runs smoothly and efficiently and is the go- to person when a question or situation comes up that others may be unfamiliar with.”

Nursing was not on the list

Haley grew up in Guilford, Connecticut, and attended Fairfield University. “I liked science and studied it in college, but I didn’t see nursing in my future.” she said.

After graduating from Fairfield, Haley spent a year with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps in Seattle working with the children and families living at an emergency housing shelter.

“It was during this time that I was introduced to the ideas of social justice and service work in the community and met nurses working for the organization Healthcare for the Homeless,” Haley said. “This was when the idea to go back to school to become a nurse first popped into my head, and it stuck.”

Nursing combined her interest in science and allowed her to continue working with people in a variety of settings in the community. When she moved back to the east coast two years later, she enrolled in the nursing program at UMass, Boston, graduating in 2001.

“I fell into emergency nursing. It was my favorite rotation, and I stuck with it after nursing school,” said Haley. “The people were dynamic, funny, and smart, and I learned so much. They were some of the smartest individuals I had ever encountered and very supportive. I never thought of leaving until I had my daughter.”

Hands-on nature of the job

When Haley’s daughter was six months old, she accepted the job at Yale Health. Working outside a hospital emergency room was a big change, but she learned that the setting often allows for deeper patient relationships.

“You get to know their names and may see them repeatedly. You have time to talk to people, not just about medical issues, but also about things you have in common,” she said. “It can be a friendly encounter.”

Haley values the hands-on nature of her job the most. “You have to act to solve problems, often in the moment, and you gain experience that way. I like moving around and getting things done,” she said.

But she remembered that when she first saw the job listing, she thought, “Every weekend? That’s strange.” Then she realized, “It might be perfect. And it has been.”