Coleen Zielinkski, RN

Title: RN (Nursing Pool)

I’ve loved baking since I was young. When I had my two children, this passion just carried over into something I did for them—they love my cookies, cakes, muffins, brownies, and everything else I bake for them. My career allows me to wear many hats within the Lourdes Nursing Department. As a Relief Nurse, I help anybody who needs it, and I’m able to do a little bit of everything every day. Between nursing, parenthood and baking, I live a well-rounded life that fulfills my professional and personal needs. I think it’s crucial to take some time for yourself every now and again. I’m fortunate enough to have a job that inspires and challenges me, and a life that I love coming home to every night.

Richard Cooper

Title: Environmental Services Floor Technician

I’ve had a love of painting ever since I was a kid, when I got involved with it at a very early age. I’m working toward showing my work at gallery exhibits. I also currently have a website where my pieces can be viewed. My body of work consists mainly of landscape and still-life pictures. My career at Lourdes and my painting have given me great balance in my life, which is very important to me. While you need to be able to pay the bills, it’s also important to be able to spend time at home and do what you love.

Maria Serrano, RN

Title: RN (Cath Lab)

Outside of work my main passion is my faith in the Lord, Jesus Christ. I am a Youth Leader at Christian Pentecostal Church in Camden, NJ. I teach children the word of God and pray that it guides them to make wise decisions. The youth are easily persuaded and distracted by the negative things in life such as drugs, alcohol and peer pressure. I try to help them and others by leading by example and telling them about the love of God. I meet with them twice a week and also arrange different activities and outings. We have volunteered our time and efforts at homeless shelters, food banks and habitat for humanity.

This spiritual passion that I have translates to my career as a Nurse at Lourdes because my job allows me to fulfill patients’ physical and spiritual needs. Lourdes’ deeply spiritual values and philosophy enable me to combine my love of God and my passion for nursing to help people every day.

Jessica Kleeman, RN

Title: RN 2 East/West

My job as an RN has given me the skills to excel in my other passions, which are competitive volleyball and volunteer work. I’ve been playing volleyball since I was twelve and played for Rutgers University, where I majored in Nursing.

I had the pleasure of coaching a Special Olympics volleyball team for two years, during which I think I learned more from my players than they did from me: the sheer joy of playing sports for fun, effective communication, patience, etc. I now coach a team of ten-year-olds with my younger sister.

Many of my skills on the volleyball court can be directly applied to my career as a Nurse at Lourdes, such as communication, teamwork and leadership. I get to be a leader in the hospital and on the court, and I really do think your passions mimic your life. Lourdes allows me to use and perfect the skills that are essential to my job and my other passions.

Ahmed Salahuddin

Title: Corporate Administrative Director of Lab and Safety

The Lourdes culture is built around wellness. So our work life at Lourdes runs in concordance with staying healthy. As an avid runner and Lourdes gym-member, I’ve worked to maintain that same standard of personal wellness. I can run a marathon in under three hours and was part of a running club for about 10 years. I have also run hundreds of other races and usually place in the top 1-2% overall in the open competition.

I have two children (a two-year-old and a two-month-old) who were both born at Lourdes. My next goal is to run a marathon pushing my two year old in a stroller. The President of our Medical Staff, Dr. Blaber is also a committed competitive runner. We have a friendly rivalry, but I don’t believe that winning is important, rather the work ethic you put into your training.

I also enjoy fishing and frequently go on trips with other Lourdes team-members, many of whom are committed fishermen. I’ve participated and placed in Flounder and Striped Bass tournaments with my colleagues and exchange fishing advice with them on a regular basis.

Mary Ellen Little, RNC

Title: RNC (NICU)

My career allows me to help babies and their families on a daily basis. My other passion is my own children. I have two girls, a 12-year-old and a 17-year-old. I am also very passionate about the bereavement committee I chair within the Little People of America organization, and my job as a Neonatal Nurse has been very instrumental in that passion. I founded the committee about 6 years ago and have helped many couples through the process of grieving over the loss of a child.

So many dwarf couples (25%) face the chance of having a baby with a lethal form of dwarfism. So, as part of the committee, I help them through the grieving and decision-making process during this period. My life's passion of neonatal nursing and giving dignity to those babies is one of the most satisfying things I have ever experienced.

Noy Singkamanand

Title: RN (E5)

I’ve worked at Lourdes for four years, and each day, through my own commitment to my patients, I seek to mirror the hospital’s mission of reverence, compassion and integrity of care in a joyful, simple and hospitable manner. The primary reason that I’ve continued to work at Lourdes Medical Center is the hospital's mission. It is dedicated to serving all people, regardless of their ability to pay, especially those most in need of care.

Bill Pierce, RN, BSN, CCRN, MBA

Title: Corporate Director of Nursing Practice and P.I.

As Corporate Director of Nursing Practice and P.I., I deal with all aspects of Nursing Practice, from policies and procedures to performance and improvement to accreditation to a variety of other specialized projects. It’s an exciting job that enables me to do a lot of different things on a day-to-day basis.

When I’m not at work, I enjoy fishing, mostly salt-water, and took fourth place in a flounder tournament this past summer. My passion for fishing started when I was a kid on my dad’s boat, growing up in New Jersey. I stopped for a while then picked it back up again when I realized I needed to find something to do for fun, just for myself again.

I think it’s important to take time for yourself and make the choice to stop answering all those emails and phone-calls on the weekend and just enjoy the time you have at home. Sometimes you need to change the forest when the trees get in the way. Between fishing and my job, I’ve been able to live a balanced life that nurtures my professional and personal ambitions.