These three nurses are making a difference for their patients everyday. Recipients of the coveted Melissa A. Fischer Nursing Award, they have gone above and beyond to support families and patients at home during this trying year. We are honored to have these nurses on our team: Thea Smith, RN; Nancy Aziz, LVN; and Joy Malaga, RN.
Thea Smith, RN
IN THIS ARTICLE
Fall 2020
Thea Smith, RN had always wanted to be a nurse. When the opportunity came for her to do her residency in Texas, her husband and two children stood by her. The whole family relocated to Texas for her two-year residency, to be with her as she pursued her dreams.
Her story began as a licensed vocational nurse, in 2006. And as anyone who’s met Smith knows, she believes strongly in learning and growth. She pushed herself through a registered nurse program finishing in two years, while raising her children. You can imagine the euphoria around her as she graduated and passed her boards.
Little did she know that real joy would find her working with MOVE! a program serving diabetes patients in the Veterans Authority (VA) Health Care System. There they aimed to go beyond prevention and management but to reverse diabetes. Working with her patients, Smith successfully helped them lower their glucose and A1C levels, in what were everyday medical miracles.
A member of the American Nurses Association (ANA) and the Philippine Nursing Association of America (PNAA), when she isn’t reading articles and learning, she’s having fun and staying healthy. Zumba, tennis, long walks, and karaoke keep her positive and laughing. On weekends, you might find Smith with her family fishing for striper bass at the delta in the Burlingame Bayshore.
True to her love for nursing, Smith helps aspiring nurses-to-be by tutoring difficult subjects like medsurg, neuro, GI, and motility. At NurseRegistry, we know that with Smith’s knowledge and experience patients rely on her to handle all types of cases, going above and beyond to care for her long-term and short-notice patients.
What advice does Smith give to new nurses?
Continue on growing as a nurse. Don’t be stagnant. Be proactive. Find out what you really want for your career and life, to be well-rounded and wholesome.”
