They call it the happiest work environment they’ve ever known.
And visitors — including this one — are unlikely to argue. I’ve certainly never been in a work environment that appeared to be any happier. And to think, people are there to get a needle shoved in their arms.
But it’s an extremely thin needle, with an unusually big benefit. It’s moving us, poke by poke, back toward a more normal lifestyle.
What’s not to love, and celebrate?
“It’s absolutely a happy place to work,” says Dr. Anne Fisher. “I tell people when I come in and leave: happy vaccination day!”
And every day is a holiday of sorts at the Monument Health COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic at the Rushmore Mall here in Rapid City. Because it represents a celebration of more freedom and less fear, after a year when COVID-19 infections and deaths limited freedoms and magnified fear.
It’s an attractive place to work right now, attractive enough to call health-care professionals out of retirement and back into the service business.
Leaving the “Oasis” to give people shots
Take Diane Coon, 65, who retired from Monument Health last June after 42 years working first as a nurse and then, after additional education and training, as a certified nurse practitioner. She thought she would retire with her husband to their “oasis” rural home 10 miles south of Rapid City.
Then COVID came. And Coon decided to go back to work, giving vaccinations.
“It’s just the right thing to do. I felt kind of helpless during the pandemic, with all my co-workers working and being productive and helping,” Coon says.
It didn’t take long before Coon was helping, too, after she was contacted by one of her friends who told her Monument was looking for people to give vaccines. Soon Coons was signed up and working three days a week from 6:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., putting shots in arms at the Monument vaccination clinic in the mall.
“It’s been great. It’s really fun. People are happy about getting the vaccines,” she says. “A few people are scared, but most people are excited that it’s their turn and that they can get closer to being back to normal, again. One of my co-workers said this is the happiest place on earth.”
Coon says she still has plans to volunteer in Rapid City, at places like Feeding South Dakota and the OneHeart center for families working to get out of poverty. But for now, it’s shots, shots, and more shots.
“I’ll keep doing this as long as they need me,” she says. “And I urge people to get their vaccine. If you have a hesitancy, call your doctor and talk about your fears so we can get more and more people vaccinated and get past this pandemic.”
Ten-hour shifts bring wake-up call to body
Karen Carpenter, 66, retired 5 1/2 years ago after almost 40 years in nursing, the last 22 of them with the rehab doctors at the Black Hills Surgical Hospital. She planned to let her nursing license lapse but when COVID arrived decided to get it renewed so she’d be ready if needed.
She was, of course.
Carpenter was contacted by a friend from Monument Health and was back working on the vaccination program by Feb. 2. She’s now working 10-hour shifts Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday at the vaccination clinic, with Wednesdays reserved for her 2 1/2-year-old granddaughter, Evie.
“Those four 10-hour shifts have given the old body a wake-up call,” Carpenter says. “And that day with Evie is a nice break. We play all day.”
Giving shots all day at work sometimes seems like play, too, because of the positive atmosphere.
“You have people thanking you all day long for poking them in the arm,” Carpenter says. “And they’re so happy when they get their vaccine. They’re happy when they get that first one. Then they’re overjoyed when they get the second one. So it’s been a lot of fun. I’m really thrilled to be part of what’s happening right now, and helping to give people some hope.”
Anne Fisher is a 65-year-old retired emergency department doctor who had retired last July. But like so many others, she knew she still had work to do when the vaccination push began.
In December, she started working in the Monument-employee vaccination clinic as a volunteer, and eventually ended up at the clinic in the mall in one of the paid positions. There she draws up individual vaccines from multiple-dose files, gives shots when needed, and sometimes serves as a doctor at the clinic. There must be a doctor, certified nurse practitioner, or physician’s assistant on duty at the clinic at all times.
Fisher agrees that the upbeat mood at the clinic is infectious, in the best of ways.
Fisher has volunteer activities coming up in the coming months but says she’ll continue to help with the vaccination effort for as long as she is needed.
“Hopefully we’ll get most of the population vaccinated,” she says. “It’s just amazing, these vaccines. We’re looking at 95 percent effective. And the safety profile is just fabulous. It’s all very exciting. This new way of doing vaccines is just amazing and will probably change the science of vaccines.”
Hoping enthusiasm for vaccines doesn’t fade
But it’s essential that the enthusiasm for the vaccines doesn’t wane as more of the general public not in the higher-risk categories become eligible, she says.
“I encourage everybody to get vaccinated,” Fisher says. “We’re afraid it’s going to flatten out. We don’t want that. We just hope everybody will keep coming in.”
Lynn Sogge, who worked as a nurse for 40 years in the neonatal and pediatrics programs, spent her 70th birthday at the clinic giving shots. And that’s just the way she wanted it.
“It’s amazing here,” she says. “Everybody is so helpful. And the people coming in, they’re so excited to get their shots. And I just love giving vaccines and starting people off in the right direction.”
Sogge retired last August and was back at work by the first week in February giving shots.
“I put my name in online and within 15 minutes there was a nurse recruiter on the phone,” Sogge says. “She said ‘You can do what you want, with whatever hours you want.’”
And Sogge is doing exactly what she wants: making people smile in relief by giving them a shot in the arm.
These days, that’s a pretty good way to make people happy.
