Candice Noble has seen and heard just about everything in her work as a registered nurse in a psychiatric facility.
“When you’re in behavioral health it is not boring,” she said with a laugh. “It is a very high-paced job that you just don’t know what to expect.”
Being a registered nurse and the program administrator at Maple Lane Residential Treatment Facility means expecting the unexpected, however.
“To have a patient that wanted to strike at you and assault you and cuss at you when they came in and thanking you for helping them by the time they leave, that gives me real joy,” Noble said. “We get a lot of success stories, and those success stories far outweigh the stories of patients who may assault you.”
Noble, who moved to Washington from Idaho, began nursing in 2007 and joined the Behavioral Health Administration in 2014. She spent two years as a nurse at Western State Hospital before moving to Maple Lane.
“I like the way nursing makes me feel,” she said. “It makes me feel good to take care of people and give back.”
Noble’s nursing career began with dementia patients, but she has found her calling in working with psychiatric patients.
“I went into psych nursing because I have a passion for helping the most underserved people,” she said. “Nurses have their niche, and this is definitely my niche.”
As program administrator, Noble leads a group of eight nurses who provide around-the-clock care for up to 30 patients. The team of James McLemore, Miri Najdzin, Brian May, Kia Rasmussen, Julie Krause, Barry Barcomb, Susan Elbert and Shelly Schmitt always puts patient care at the forefront of their work, said Maple Lane Residential Services Manager Tracy Grunenfelder.
“Together they have formed a patient-centered culture that has been paramount to the success of the Maple Lane Competency Restoration Program,” Grunenfelder said. “These hardworking nurses not only engage the clientele but they also work collaboratively with both the programming and operations staff.”
(Story by Rob Johnson)