Dhanesh V. Bissessar
OnePoint Patient Care
Greenwood Village, CO
What inspired you to pursue a career in healthcare?
I spent half of my life working in the finance industry in the Caribbean, and when I moved to Colorado in 2019 we were hit by the pandemic. I decided I needed to make a change, and I wanted to be an essential worker just like the other hard working, dedicated, compassionate medical professionals getting us through that traumatic period.
How did you come to work in hospice specifically?
If I’m to be completely honest, I didn’t choose hospice, hospice chose me! I had just completed the CPhT certification and had applied everywhere, I had several interviews but when I came to OnePoint and Sydnie and Paul explained what the company was about I knew I didn’t want to take any of the other jobs because I felt a true sense of purpose and alignment of career aspirations here!
What do you enjoy most about your role?
The sense of knowing the care and compassion we are bringing to people at their most vulnerable point in life, achieving this goal with a supportive and dedicated team, the continuous learning curve, physically going to IPU’s and restocking Omnicell machines and getting to see the impact we have first hand with RN’s, patients and their families!
In what ways, if any, is hospice difference from what you expected before you started?
I never expected to be physically present in so many instances where families were losing loved ones. And I didn’t expect these experiences to help me so tremendously in dealing with the loss of my parents. Knowing the care and service we provide at the time that we do – it is truly a privilege, and they would be proud!
Do you have any advice for someone considering a career in hospice?
Ask people already in the space, so that you have a true understanding of what it’s about and understand the level of commitment and dedication involved. That will help you decide and will determine the type of impact you will have.