SMC’s Tele/Med Surg Unit and ICU have a new manager.
Clinical Nurse Manager Zachary Sherkness, RN, never planned to be a nurse, much less a nurse manager.
“I was working at a retail pharmacy in 2014 when someone from the hospital came in and asked if I’d be interested in working in their pharmacy,” he recalled. “I applied and got the job.”
Sherkness was told there could be an opportunity to enroll in nursing school, but he wasn’t interested — at least not at that time.
“I did decide to try nursing school and very much enjoyed it,” he said. “I was really happy just being a nurse.”
Once he completed nursing school as an RN, he began his career nursing career at SMC in 2018.
In January 2021, while working as an RN on 3 North and in the Tele/Med Surg Unit, Sherkness was diagnosed with testicular cancer and needed to take time off for surgery, chemotherapy, and recovery.
Prior to his diagnosis — in December 2021 — he had applied for the Nurse Manager position.
“I got the offer in January of this year,” Sherkness said. “I was extremely nervous about working in nursing leadership, but after some consideration, I accepted the position and am very much enjoying the responsibilities that come along with it.”
Director of ICU and Tele/Med Surg Kirstin Maritim, MS, BSN, RN, is proud and thankful to have Sherkness on her team.
“Zac does so much behind the scenes, and always with an upbeat attitude and sense of humor,” said Maritim. “He’s an asset to SMC’s nursing team.”
As clinical nurse manager, Sherkness is responsible for managing human and financial resources, ensuring patient and staff satisfaction, maintaining a safe environment for staff, patients, and visitors, ensuring standards and quality of care are maintained, and aligning the unit’s goals with the hospital’s strategic goals.