Nurse’s Story – Dorrie Steadman

We celebrate National Nurses Week by paying tribute to the compassion and expertise these women and men dispense every day.

SEIU Local 1000 member Dorrie Steadman is no exception, with a nearly 30-year career of providing patient care, including stints as a CNA, an LVN, and for the last 16 years, as a Registered Nurse (RN).

Dorrie is one of the first responders working in the challenging landscape of prison medicine—made even more dangerous by the onset of the coronavirus.

“There’s a level of fear now that didn’t exist before,” Dorrie says. “Nurses are scared, but they’re still coming to work because they’re thinking about others first.”

Those nurses are working in an environment where the much-needed personal protective equipment is being rationed. “I was issued two masks on April 6, and I’m still using them.”

Through it all, providing quality care to her patients remains her passion. “This is where I was most needed, to do the most for people. It’s fulfilling to be able to do work that’s both necessary and that you’re good at.”

Still, in this moment, there’s added peril to her job. “The intensity of the coronavirus took us by surprise, and we’re learning something new every day,” says Dorrie. “At the same time, we’re educating our coworkers about the dangers and, in some cases, they’re not taking the risks seriously.

As a health care provider, and as a long-time union activist, she is “In every instance, staying in my leadership to keep things calm.”

At a truly challenging time, our nurses are doing critical work despite the danger. We thank them and salute their contribution to the health of our community.