CuraSouth Staff Spotlight
Meet the Team
Meet the Team
Meet Jessica Leer, one of CuraSouth’s beloved and essential Charge Nurses. Jessica has been with CuraSouth since the Florida detox center first opened its doors.
“I started out as a nurse’s aid, and I decided I wanted to continue onto a full-time nursing career,” Jessica explains. “I spent 10 years working in an Intensive Care Unit, after receiving my Associates, Bachelors, and Masters degrees in Nursing Education. When the COVID pandemic hit, working in the ICU became really exhausting; but I still wanted to help people. Helping people has always been my calling. I used my degree in education to facilitate some educational courses in the hospital, but I knew that wasn’t what I wanted to do longer term. I started to pray for guidance. I prayed for clarity to know what my next step would be.”
Jessica explains that although she doesn’t have personal history with substance use disorder, she felt drawn to the field. “I haven’t experienced addiction myself, but I felt like it was my calling,” she says. “During my time in the hospital I observed how addiction cases were handled. I felt like substance use issues were generally handled poorly; there was a level of judgment and stigma. When I got called into an interview with CuraSouth I had no prior experience with drug and alcohol detoxification, but the conversation flowed and I left feeling like detox was my next move.”
Jessica explains how her experience with CuraSouth has been thus far. “I absolutely love the personalized treatment we give our clients,” she says. “Whether a client has a special diet or needs help working through trauma, we see each person for who they are and what they need.
Each individual client is treated as if they are the most important person there. I also love the level of collaboration between the nursing staff and the clinical staff. We stay in close communication which allows us to identify any trends that need to be addressed.”
What does a day in the life of a CuraSouth nurse look like? “At the beginning of each shift I get a report from the night shift nurse,” she explains. “I do a narcotics count, get a report on each client, and read the admissions report on new clients so I can take notes on specifics.”
Jessica adds, “Depending on the day and how many clients we have, one of the nurses handles medication and one handles documentation. We perform a medication pass, taking careful notes on what kind of medications every individual client is on and what each medication is prescribed for. We order any medications we don’t have on-site through the pharmacy.
We regularly check on each client to make sure they are stabilized and comfortable. We regularly check in on withdrawal symptoms, check vitals, and see where clients are on their detoxification journeys; see how they are progressing.”
In her free time, Jessica enjoys reading.
To learn more about our experienced and compassionate staff members, visit the Our Team page on the CuraSouth website or reach out to us directly.
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At CuraSouth, clients experience drug or alcohol withdrawal in a safe, comfortable, secure and closely monitored environment. Approved medications are administered by experienced medical professionals to ease the symptoms of withdrawal and guarantee a safe detox. Beyond the physical stabilization process, clients at CuraSouth benefit from a world-class treatment program. Our team of dedicated medical and clinical professionals has combined decades of experience in the fields of substance use and mental health. Our comprehensive medical detox program addresses the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual implications of active addiction. To learn more about our Tampa detox center or to begin your personal journey of addiction recovery, contact us today.
