Spotlight’s On: Denise Sobiek

an interview with Napa Center’s Head Nurse/Supervisor, Denise Sobiek, R.N., also known as “Denurse.”

BCP has many departments and hundreds of employees. Do you know the function of each department? Or the role of many of our staff members? Each month, we’ll spotlight a staff member or department. Last month we interviewed Megan Forrest from Shasta. This month, we’d like to introduce you to Denise Sobiek!

What’s your job title? What do you do? And what do you enjoy most about your job with Blood Centers of the Pacific?
I used to work for Irwin Memorial Blood Bank from 1980 – 1986. Those were the days when the Donor History Questionnaire was a 5x8 card with roughly 15 questions. For the past six years, I have been the Napa Center’s Head Nurse/Supervisor. I love nursing and love my position at the Napa Center. I am also a trainer and train the new RNs to be Head Nurses. I work with an excellent group of people.

Being a supervisor leads me to interact with all BCP departments. Most important is my interaction and an open line of communication with my Donor Collections Manager, Lana Dyson, keeping her informed about what goes on at the Napa Center. My main staff include Jennifer Bretta, Apheresis Nurse, and Greg Proell, Donor Technician, along with one other donor collections float staff. The four of us do it all.

Describe your typical day at the Napa Center
My typical day at the Napa Center is my arrival to the center about 30 minutes prior to my punch in time. I am responsible for the entire center. I make sure the janitor has done his job and make sure the temp-regulated storeroom is and has been in compliance overnight. The registration area is readied with the print up of the donor appointment list, the plateletpheresis appointment list, returning voice mail messages and more.

When staff arrive, we have 15 minutes to perform set-up and quality control. I also inform staff of any issues and or memos, reminders, brief team meetings, etc. Our center has six donor chairs, all can be used for WB/Autos/DD. Two of the six chairs are e-chairs for our dedicated plateletpheresis donors. We have six plateletpheresis donors per day. We also have two Alyx DR machines and all of the North Bay staff are excellent Alyx DR recruiters/teachers.

What are the challenges?
The challenge is to keep a controlled smooth flowing center, this I enjoy maintaining. When this challenge is not met, I usually step back and review and analyze the situation to see what I could do different or better. I also ask my staff for their feedback and input.

Anything else to add?
I feel that the Head Nurse sets the tone for the center and enjoying what I do and keeping a positive attitude sure makes a positive difference.

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