For Evie Sutton, Clinical Educator at River Medical Group, every position she’s held in her 51-year career has had its challenges and rewards. Evie started her nursing career as a staff nurse in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
After a few years, she transferred to Coronary Care Unit (CCU) to care for patients in a rapidly changing area of health care. She was interested in learning EKG's and heart rhythms. While in this role, Evie became the Nurse Manager for CCU.
Evie then ventured into teaching, coaching, and mentoring nursing students at the School of Professional Nursing at Riverside. In this role, she provided staff development for employed Riverside nurses and clinical team members. Evie enjoyed introducing new techniques and procedures while validating clinical competence, which gave her many opportunities to care for patients and mentor nurses throughout their careers.
During this time, she completed her Bachelor of Science in Nursing at Old Dominion University and started to seek out a Master’s degree program. Evie earned her Master of Science degree at Hampton University and remained with Riverside as both staff development educator and nursing supervisor.
Becoming a clinical educator withRiverside Medical Groupprovided Evie with a wealth of opportunities within ambulatory care. One of these experiences provided a path to Evie’ earned title of “Vaccine Queen.” Riverside Medical Group began planning and coordinating community Flu vaccine clinics in 2014. The community flu clinics were coordinated by RMG leadership team members Kelly Cooper and Kathy Haley in response to community requests.
Early Beginnings
In 2014, Evie’s Vaccine Queen title began with RHS/RMG community flu clinics, and she has retained the title by adding COVID-19 vaccines to her expertise. The clinical team that administered flu shots were oriented to vaccine technique and other details. Any unusual question from a vaccine recipient was referred to Evie for clarification. Prior to the vaccine clinics, Evie had researched recommendations for flu shot administration for specific populations so she could respond to any unusual or complex questions.
In the meantime, Riverside Health’s Community Flu Shot Clinics gained a following through marketing and word of mouth. Requests for flu clinics in more geographic locations were used for planning purposes in the years to come. In 2021, Riverside held 11 vaccine clinics.
Not surprisingly, the Community Flu Shot Clinic was revamped to accommodate a drive -up format due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The drive-up format was embraced by the community because everyone loved the convenience factor. It was then that Evie’s Vaccine Queenrole expanded to include COVID-19 vaccines.
COVID-19 vaccinations were soon added to the Community Flu Clinic, allowing participants to receive a flu shot only, COVID shot only, or both vaccines at the same time. The addition of COVID-19 vaccines added complexity to Evie’s role, due to access and clinical observation after vaccines were administered to patients and documented.
In November 2021, the last planned Flu and COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic added COVID shot availability for the five- to eleven-year-old age group. The parents loved this additional vaccine option, and the program was very popular. During this time, Evie validated administration and documentation competency for the clinical team members administering COVID vaccines to both team members and the community.
Once again, Evie was the “go to” staff member for COVID-19 vaccine questions, and she her Vaccine Queen status remains after all these years. Evie studied and researched the COVID vaccines more than the average person, because she wanted to understand every nuance of the vaccines.
Making a Difference
When asked why she chose nursing, Evie doesn’t hesitate. She says, “My desire to be a nurse is rooted in the strength of the nursing profession and my nurse colleagues.” She is especially proud to be a part of Riverside's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Evie is quick to point out that Riverside's pre-planning, strategies, and team approach enabled a quick and efficient response to the ongoing pandemic. “Acute care for patients in multiple settings with up-to-date information has been and continues to be phenomenal. Riverside's leadership met the challenge and put in place processes and safeguards to protect the health team members and patients,” Evie adds.
Currently, Evie gives COVID-19 vaccines at Patriot Primary Care daily for ages 5 to adult. She’s not shy about sharing her wisdom about getting a vaccine. “Administering COVID-19 vaccines is more than just giving a shot in an arm. It's also having educational conversations, offering calming support and kindness to others, and knowing how to navigate vaccine updates.”
Some of the memorable conversations that Evie recalls with her patients include a six-year-old boy who plans to invent a way to travel in the cells and destroy the ones that make people sick. She recalls that one twelve-year-old boy she met plans to use his antibodies from the vaccine to end COVID-19. He even provided a visual demonstration to show how he would accomplish this!
National Nurses Week
When asked about National Nurses Week, Evie shares that the observance honors nurses’ contributions and recognizes the medical professionals who keep us healthy. National Nurses Week is celebrated between National Nurses Day, which is May 6, and May 12, the birthdate of nurse Florence Nightingale. This year’s theme for National Nurses Weeks is, “Rooted in Strength.”
“Nurses are rooted in strength because we have the strength of our conviction knowing that we have a science background, several years of experience, and the combined experience and knowledge of our colleagues,” she says.
It’s evident in everything Evie says that she is proud to be part of the Riverside care difference. “We collaborate to deliver quality and timely care. Riverside nurses believe in providing the best care available. We are respectful of every individual’s contribution and provide reliable communication and problem solving for continued growth and improvement. We truly are Riverside Strong.”
