For Lisa Messina, BSN, some of the most meaningful reminders of a 45-year career at FMOL Health | St. Francis arrive unexpectedly.
They happen in grocery store aisles when someone stops to tell her she was their baby’s nurse. They happen when a former patient she once cared for as a premature infant returns as a healthy adult. Sometimes, they even happen when a new grandmother recognizes Lisa through the nursery window and tells her that the son Lisa cared for years ago is now welcoming a baby of his own.
Those moments connect a career that began in 1981, when Lisa was a nursing student at Northeast Louisiana University, now the University of Louisiana at Monroe. She worked evenings and weekends as a ward clerk on the OB floor at St. Francis while earning her degree. After graduating in 1983, she became a registered nurse in the newborn nursery.
Four-and-a-half decades later, her connection to St. Francis remains just as strong as her first day.
45 Years With the Same Love for Caring
During 45 years at St. Francis, Lisa’s responsibilities have grown and changed many times. She has served in nursing and leadership roles throughout maternal and child health, helped develop programs for families and continued her education along the way.
She now serves as nursing director for St. Francis’ WIC (Women, Infants and Children) program. But through all those years, one thing has remained at the center of her work: a love for caring for babies and helping families give them a healthy start.
“Every nurse has to find her special little thing, and I just love taking care of babies,” Lisa says. “I just love giving them the best start in life.”
For years, Lisa cared for newborns who needed additional time and support before going home. Some had arrived early and needed to grow stronger. Others had conditions such as cleft lip and palate that required families to learn new ways of feeding and caring for their babies.
Lisa worked closely with parents so they would leave the hospital prepared. She taught them how to feed their babies, administer medications and perform CPR when needed. She helped mothers with breastfeeding and made sure each family received education tailored to their needs.
“Each patient is different. Each patient has different needs,” Lisa says. “We just need to focus in and listen to the patient and see how we can educate them.”
Seeing Her Smallest Patients Grow Up
After decades of caring for newborns, Lisa has had the rare opportunity to see many of those children grow into adults.
She remembers caring for a set of triplets who went home from the hospital at different times. As the first two babies became ready to leave, their mother had less time to spend at the hospital with the third. Lisa reassured her that she would look after the baby who remained.
Years later, the triplets returned for a NICU celebration as young adults. Lisa recognized the third triplet by name and learned she was attending physical therapy school.
Other reunions happen without warning. Former patients and parents recognize Lisa around town and tell her about college, careers, families and milestones. Some of the tiny babies she once cared for have grown into football players. Others have become healthcare professionals or parents themselves.
“It’s so rewarding to know that you helped somebody along the way, from being that small little baby to now with their life,” Lisa says. “It just gives you a wonderful, heartwarming feeling.”
Those encounters allow Lisa to see the impact of nursing far beyond a patient’s time in the hospital. A few days or weeks of care can become part of a family’s story for decades.
Passing Along 45 Years of Knowledge
Lisa’s impact at St. Francis also extends to the nurses who have learned alongside her.
Over the years, she has trained and mentored many young nurses, helping them translate what they learned in school into caring for patients at the bedside. She also returned to ULM for a time as an instructor, teaching pediatric nursing students through a partnership with St. Francis.
The tools available to nurses have changed dramatically since Lisa began her career. Technology now provides information that once required nurses to rely more heavily on manual assessments. Lisa wants new nurses to understand both.
She encourages them to pay close attention to their patients, trust their nursing instincts and ask another nurse for help when something does not seem right.
“They’ve got the knowledge in school, but now they’ve got to put it to practice,” Lisa says. “Don’t hesitate to ask a question of somebody else to help you out.”
For Lisa, teaching strengthens the care that will be provided long after her own career. Every skill shared with a new nurse can ultimately reach another patient, another newborn and another family.
Coming Home as a Warhawk of the Game
More than four decades after graduating from NLU, Lisa’s connections to her university and St. Francis are coming together again as she was recognized as the Warhawk of the Game during ULM’s football game against Florida Atlantic on Sept. 26.
Returning to campus brings back memories of the university she knew as a nursing student, while giving her the chance to see how much it has grown. The recognition carries special meaning for someone whose education at NLU helped launch a career spent serving families across Northeast Louisiana.
“It’s just a warm heart feeling,” Lisa says. “You graduated from here 40-something years ago, and here you are back.”
The honor also reflects a relationship that has come full circle: From student to instructor and, now, honoree for her years of service.
For Lisa, that career can be measured in years, programs and leadership roles. It can also be seen in the former patients who recognize her around Monroe, the parents who still remember the reassurance she gave them and the nurses who carry lessons she taught them into their own patient care.
