Page 2 January 15, 2015 TORRANCE TRIBUNE TerriAnn in Torrance A Nurse in Torrance By TerriAnn Ferren Photo by TerriAnn Ferren Sabrina Q. Nettles, RN, BSN, has been a registered nurse for seven years and works and lives in the city of Torrance. She makes her home in Torrance with her husband Evans and son David. Sabrina explained to me that being a nurse wasn’t her first career. When she arrived here from the Philippines at eighteen years old, she wanted to go to USC. “I was in dental school when we came over here from the Philippines. When we came here, USC was a little bit expensive, so I became a registered dental assistant and I did that for eighteen years, but I studied general education in between and I transitioned into dental hygiene because my former employer encouraged me to become a hygienist. But I didn’t like it and switched to nursing instead,” said Sabrina. Sabrina told me it has been the best decision she has ever made. She has lived in Torrance with Evans for twenty years. David attended South High School and later graduated from UCI. “I like working with patients, especially cardiac patients. I want to be able to [see] the transition from being sick to discharge from the hospital. Getting [my patients] to progress to wellness is the best thing ever and makes me feel good as a nurse,” said Sabrina. Sabrina told me she loves being a nurse, especially reaching out to not only the patients but to their families - to educate them about the patient. Sabrina went on to tell me, “Both the patient and the family need to be educated for the patient to go home to prevent them from coming back to the hospital.” I then asked Sabrina what advice she would give to someone interested in nursing and she said, “Make sure you are competitive, knowledgeable, and that you read a lot. Nursing is continuing [education]. Every year you have to advance and keep skilled. You need to take thirty [hours] continuing education classes every two years to keep your license. Being a nurse is always continuing educating because medicine is always advancing so you have to keep up – especially with medications.” At this point I was reminded of the pharmaceutical advertisements I have seen on SENIOR DAYS FOR THE ENTIRE MONTH OF FEBRUARY 2015 $.99 cent games $.99 cent shoe rental $2.99 lunch specials MONDAY – FRIDAY 9:00 AM THROUGH 5:00 PM For more information please call Charlotte at charlotte@pvbowl.com; or 310.326.5120 television that show people smiling broadly while strolling through grassy gardens or frolicking on sunny beaches while a voiceover tells you the fifty side effects, that of course usually contain the word – death. No wonder Saturday Night Live did a sketch on these very commercials. Makes one wonder. Sabrina assured me that if you ever pick up medication from a pharmacy you will notice the ‘side effect’ sheet will be in larger print so you and your family can read the l i terature. Okay, how about flu shots? Sabrina told me she gets hers every year and encourages the young and the elderly to get the flu shot every year as well. She assures me that if you get the flu shot, it acts as a very good preventive measure. I asked Sabrina if her family relies on her when they are sick and she laughed and said, “Oh, yes. A lot of times they know you are there – like a security blanket.” I can relate to that. To this day, my mom, a nurse, is never ‘off duty’ when it comes to family and friends. She always helps when she can and is the first to direct someone to the appropriate doctor. I have watched my mom be a nurse all her life and do believe it is a calling of a higher level. Sabrina enjoys working in the hospital setting and living in Torrance and told me, “Torrance is great. It is a big community, north, south, east, west – and Torrance has so many promising businesses - booming now and there are so many new stores. Torrance is quiet, the temperature is beautiful, and it is conducive – the weather is great.” After speaking with Sabrina I felt lucky our paths had crossed. Having two major hospitals in the area, not including Harbor General Hospital, I think it is fair to say on any given day we have hundreds of nurses working in the city of Torrance. Somehow that is a comforting thought and gives me pride in our ‘top of the mark’ medical care. So the next time you cross paths with a nurse, say thank you. Thank you for caring for our community. As Mother Teresa once said, “It is not how much we do, but how much love we put in the doing. It is not how much we give, but how much love we put in the giving.” • Sabrina Q Nettles, RN, BSN. Sports Shorts South vs. Leuzinger Basketball Photos by Osvin Suazo, ozzy.suazo@gmail.com. South’s #33 Kasey Takashi gaining control of the ball in the 4th quarter. Leuzinger’s #10 Darrian Williams scoring with a dunk in the first quarter. South’s #32 Garland Gribbs with a sudden block to Leuzinger’s #25 Nathaniel Vaughn’s attempt to score. The South High Varsity Boys Basketball Team and Cheerleaders during the National Anthem. “Getting [my patients] to progress to wellness is the best thing ever and makes me feel good as a nurse.” Business Briefs SBCCOG Zero Waste Workshop South Bay Cities Council of Governments through its Environmental Services Center has teamed up with South Bay Adult School to bring you an informative and motivational free workshop, Moving Toward a Zero Waste System. Experts from The Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County, Grades of Green and Ron Wildermuth will present ways to minimize your impact on the environment through the following topics: Overview of Zero Waste, Solid Waste Management, Past, Present and Future; What’s Up with Food Waste?; Waste Free at Home and Office, Environmentally Friendly Eating and Composting Overview and Resources. Workshop will be held Monday, January 26, 2015, 7-9pm, at South Bay Adult School (701 S. Peck Avenue, Manhattan Beach, CA). Register at www.sbesc.com/ calendar/workshops or call 310-371-7222. Dancing with the South Bay Stars IV On Saturday, February 7, at 8pm, local South Bay “stars” will be paired up and performing with professional dancers, competing to raise funds for their favorite nonprofits. The event will be held at the Armstrong Theatre. To purchase tickets and see the bios and favorite charities of each dancer, please visit http://www.torrancearts. org/dancing-with-the-south-bay-stars-iv/. •
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