For the Employment Class on Wednesday, June 24, 2020, we were pleased to welcome Brian O’Hearn who happens to be the father of our instructor, Catherine O’Hearn.  Brian is the Chief Nursing Officer for many nurses at Androscoggin Valley Hospital in Berlin, New Hampshire!

Brian currently lives among the White Mountains of New Hampshire where he has been for five years.  In 1986 he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in nursing school from Binghamton University and eventually a patient said he needed to work on his Master’s Degree to truly advance in the field of healthcare.  Therefore, he earned a Master’s in Business Administration fourteen years later in 2000.  From that point forward, he had the chance to work at a total of 6 hospitals ranging from Florida to Rhode Island to New York.

Every position along the way could serve as a stepping stone for what we really want in our professional journey.  Brian’s first job he ever had was as a dishwasher at Howard Johnson’s where he learned to make one trip instead of two.  He trained himself to think one step ahead of the cooks so they will be able to do their job and make one trip instead of two for supplies.  The cooks obviously could not do their job if they did not have plates.  The success from this celebration allowed him to graduate toward becoming a hospital orderly where he learned the importance of being successful by ensuring that the next person had what they needed to perform their job.

Brian spoke about how important it is to have a healthy balance with regards to rest, relaxation, and enjoying time with family as well as beloved pets.  It is easy to get so wrapped up with work that one’s mind may not be at home when one is actually home!  For recreation, he also has taken up golf and hiking the White Mountains.

About 100 nurses report to Brian.  His job is to ensure that the people who are helping others have what they need such as Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).  Brian spoke about making sure that mornings are more bearable such as having the coffee ready to go the night before and leaving a decent cushion of time that can be as much as an extra hour.  It takes him about 20 minutes to commute to his job where he follows the same route.  On that note, Brian explained that getting there on-time and following the same schedule is important.  Just like the rest of our Employment Class guests, Brian admits that he has made mistakes.  “If you make a mistake that is how you learn, and that is a sign of a really good employee who says, ‘I made a mistake.’  I have made small ones and big ones.  Each time I work to try to fix something.  If you have made these mistakes there is a good chance that other people have made them, too.”

Brian gave the students wonderful advice about how to get through job interviews.  He states, “You may very well be asked about values.  Talk about how important trust and integrity are because every time we talk we are saying the truth.  Give open and honest answers.  If you get a question you do not know the answer to you then can get back to that person.  It is important to have good, honest dialogue.  It shows your human side and what you value, which is what you want to come across.  You want to look the part, which is why I wear a lab coat.  It is also important to be well-rested before the interview.  It is normal to be nervous and the people who are interviewing you will understand that.”