A Day in the Life of a Premise Health Nurse

Nurses are the heart of the healthcare system, providing care and compassion, often under unexpected or challenging circumstances. They play a critical role in both the complex web of the healthcare industry and our personal lives. At its core, nursing is a commitment to helping others, and many who pursue the career path are called to it at a young age.

This was the case for Premise Health nurse Trina Marlatt, RN, MSN, who jokes her nursing career began at age 9. Her “informal training” started during childhood as she took on the nurturer role among friends and family, but her official career began over 30 years ago when she started practicing as a certified nursing assistant.

Trina, now an occupational health center manager at our Subaru site in Lafayette, Indiana, sat down with us to discuss her passion for people, the team that keeps her motivated, and how Premise’s holistic approach to care has transformed lives.

What are your responsibilities as a nurse?

There is never a dull moment in this career – that’s why I love nursing. I love coming into our occupational health center not knowing what the day will bring. I typically begin at 7 a.m. with a team huddle. This is the time when we plan out our day and get caught up on what has happened in the last eight to 12 hours. Throughout the day, I can be found doing a variety of tasks:

• Filling in wherever I’m needed on the floor,
• Meeting with our client, Subaru, to strategize how to better promote safety and injury prevention in the plant,
• Investigating on-the-job incidents,
• Taking phone calls that need leadership support,
• Managing workflows and policies,
• And much, much more!

Around 3 p.m., I huddle with our second shift team to catch them up on the day’s events and help ease them into their work. My days are a whirlwind, but I love the unpredictability. My growing team, now made up of 23 incredible team members who include providers, nurses, a physical therapist, injury prevention specialist, and medical director, keeps me sane.

One of the aspects I love about my role is the interactions with Subaru associates and the management team. In some ways, the changing times have deprioritized bedside nursing, which is arguably the most important component of care for the patient and most fulfilling for the nurse. I have the privilege of helping our more than 6,000 associates get, stay, and be well.

Our employee population is fairly diverse from gender, cultural, and generational standpoints, which makes tailored care more important than ever. The nature of occupational health, especially in this line of work, involves treating patients for onsite injuries such as lacerations, sprains, fractures, and bruises. We also treat our fair share of personal medical issues. This can include anything from high blood pressure to diabetes and making sure our patients are up to date on their immunizations and medications. We offer virtual health services to accommodate travel and extenuating circumstances, but most care is provided in the clinic.

What sets your role as a Premise nurse apart from others?

Our approach to care and overall focus on the work we do for our clients and patients is like no other. Having worn many hats and worked in a hospital for most of my career, I’ve been able to see the difference this model of care makes on health outcomes and the patient experience. I enjoyed my time at the hospital, but the fast pace and fragmentation between providers and hospitals made holistic care a challenge.

With Premise, our team can collaborate seamlessly and refer patients to other specialists easily. For example, we may see an associate in our occupational health clinic who mentions another concern, like anxiety or depression. We can then refer them just a mile down the road to our on-campus behavioral health specialist. Subaru also offers onsite primary care and has a beautiful fitness center, each of which is onsite and managed by Premise, making referrals simple and effective. For a plant as large as Subaru’s (which is a few miles long), having nearly everything an associate need from a health and wellness perspective close by is essential to achieving total worker health.

From a work standpoint, I have much more flexibility and work/life balance in my role. This isn’t a 24/7 position in which all responsibility falls on me at all times. We’re a collaborative team who has each other’s back and is willing to support one another when needed. Our team is blended well generationally and experientially, which was done strategically in an effort to prioritize education and mentorship. We have new nurses who are trained and mentored by some of our more seasoned occupational health nurses. On the flip side, our younger nurses educate the more experienced on some of the changes in training and new practices.

How has your role at Premise given you a unique perspective on some of the obstacles the broader nursing community faces?

The future of nursing is a bit scary. As a country, we’re facing staffing shortages, continued challenges related to COVID-19, annual virus outbreaks, and more. The field has changed, and there are challenges we face today that didn’t exist when I started my career, but its potential is limitless.

In occupational health nursing specifically, we often ask the same question several times to get to the root of someone’s health issue. The way it’s asked may prompt different answers, which require more investigation on our end. This is one area where the benefits of direct healthcare really shine through. We’re able to spend more time with a patient asking those questions, digging into their health history, and collaborating with other providers who know the patient well to find where a health issue stems from.

Not only are patients treated with higher quality care, but our close-knit team feels like family. Having a sense of belonging at work helps us push through obstacles and hard times. I never thought after having retired during the pandemic that I’d be working again in a management role, but the amazing relationships I have with our associates, and Subaru and Premise teams who are equally as passionate about their work as I am, make it all worthwhile.

What solidified my decision to come to Premise after retiring was the way they handled an act of violence that took place at the plant last year. After a long, stressful day of treating injured associates and making sure everyone was safe, Premise leaders reached out that night to offer support and ask what resources and help we needed. They were on onsite to provide those resources the very next day. I truly feel valued, invested in, and cared for by the Premise family, from the top down.

What about your job motivates you and makes you come back each day?

To reiterate, the team we have here is incredible, but the reward and fulfillment that comes from helping a patient change their life is what inspires me day in and day out.

One of these impactful moments involves a tenured Subaru employee who came into the clinic one night asking to speak with me privately. She had lost over 60 pounds and needed a new, better-fitting uniform, but the policies in place required medical documentation and sign-off. Because the associate had no record of her previous weight or other medical files that indicated her transformation, I took it upon myself to search for an old chart that included her baseline weight. After some digging, I found it and was able to give her the documentation needed to receive the new uniform. This simple gesture meant the world to her. Now, she comes in every month to check in as she continues her journey to create and sustain a healthy lifestyle. It’s in these moments that I remember why I chose nursing, and why I can’t help but keep coming back.

At Premise, we strive to build a culture of safety and wellness that helps prevent injuries before they happen, handling all your occupational health needs in one place. Our nurses are critical to carrying out that mission, and we recognize and celebrate their care, commitment, and compassion. As an RN at one of our health centers, you’ll be at the forefront of delivering comprehensive, integrated healthcare. To explore job opportunities with Premise, click here.