Name
Mrs. Petergay Dunkley-Mullings, RN, BSN, CHPN, CM
Location & Birthplace
Originally from Jamaica, migrated to the US in 1998, currently Residing in Lawrenceville Georgia
Profession, Years of Experience
Director of Nursing with over 12 years of nursing and management experience.
Interests
An avid learner with interest in the ever-changing field of nursing, with special emphasis on providing the best hospice care possible.
Describe Yourself in Three or More Words:
An ardent caregiver who is dedicated to serving humanity wholeheartedly.
When did you first become interested in your field and what sparked your interest?
My first experience with hospice started when I was in nursing school doing a clinical rotation on a hospice unit in a Florida hospital. My initial introduction to hospice care was unfortunately not a good experience, at that time my assignment included working with a seasoned hospice nurse who seemed to have lost all compassion or empathy for anyone who she came across.
We were both assigned an end of life patient name M Gonzales who had no family present at her bedside, this patient continued to ask for pain medication and would find any excuse to keep the nurse in the room after medication administration.
Though terrified to be alone in the presence of a dying person, I decided to sit with her to find out what was causing her discomfort, soon I realized that this patient didn’t have much physical pain but instead she was afraid to die alone and therefore wanted someone to comfort her as she feels as if she was imminently dying.
During that assignment, I was permitted to sit with the patient through the duration of my floor rotation in which time I had the privilege of learning a lot about this patient’s past life and how she ended up alone without much family support. Patient M Gonzales died the next day before my clinical rotation resumed, all by herself in what a consider to be an inhumane manner.
From that day onward, I became eager to learn everything that I needed to know about hospice and how I can make a difference in the lives of patient’s and families experiencing distress at end of life.
I have since dedicated my career to working in various areas of hospice care, including but not limited to; Crisis care Nurse, Case Manager, Admission Nurse, Patient Care Coordinator, On-Call Triage Nurse, Weekend Supervisor, Assistant Director of Health Services, Director of Health Services, Director of Operations/Administrator.
What/who influences/inspires you?
Truly inspired by the fact that I can make a positive difference in the lives of people when caring and compassion matters the most.
What is your motto and/or mission?
My mission is to empower and enrich the lives of those who are suffering from a life-limiting illness.
Kate Gorinshteyn is the director of marketing at Arcturus Health Care. Arcturus is a fast-growing Hospice striving to provide the highest level of quality care to patients faced with life-limiting illnesses. Our goal is to make each patient as pain-free as possible and give physiological, emotional and spiritual support to both the patient and family. We understand that the decision change from curative to comfort care is difficult, and our team is trained to help you every step of the way!
We are proud to make a difference in the lives of those we serve.
