‘Nurse of the Year’ found niche by comforting those in crisis

On May 7, Joanne Forsythe, 71, was named Nurse of the Year 2025 at St. Joseph Medical Center in Joliet. Except for a break in between 1990 and 1991, Forsythe has worked at Saint Joseph for 50 years.
“I'm rather embarrassed about it,” Forsythe said. “There are really a lot of great nurses. They do a lot more. They're active with the union and serve on committees.”
As humble as she most definitely is, Forsythe does admit to possessing a strong work ethic. Nursing is a high-stress occupation. To deal with 12-hour shifts, continual stress, and disrespect is difficult enough. To remain with one hospital for nearly half-a-century is an extraordinary accomplishment.
Becoming a nurse
Forsythe was born in Wilmington, attending St. Rose Catholic school and Wilmington High School. Though she now resides in Manhattan, Forsythe has fond memories and strong ties to Wilmington.
“My mom was a teacher for years in Wilmington,” she said. “My youngest daughter teaches in Wilmington, and her husband also teaches in Wilmington. It was a great place to live.”
Though she has long been drawn to the medical field, Forsythe isn't certain why she decided to become a nurse.
“When I was little I wanted to be a ballerina, but didn't have much grace,” Forsythe said, laughing. “Initially, I thought about becoming a social worker. It was in high school that I finally decided on nursing. I can't really tell you exactly why, except I love helping people.”
Surgical nursing
After earning her license as a registered nurse, Forsythe began her career at St. Joseph.
Forsythe's career began in the operating room as a surgical nurse. The stress of working in surgery didn't really phase her. She was adept at caring for patients pre-operatively, during surgery, and post-operatively. She had the skills and intuition needed to handle the responsibility.
Still, she didn't feel as if being a surgical nurse suited her personality. She needed more personal contact. Forsythe felt the need to not only use her nursing skills, but to comfort and educate patients.
“I didn't really like being a surgical nurse because there wasn't a whole lot of patient contact; they're all under anesthesia,” Forsythe said. “Then I switched to the hospice unit in the hospital. That's where I felt most needed. It made a big difference in my life, and I loved my job.”
When the hospice unit at St. Joseph’s was integrated into another program in 1990, Forsythe took a leap of faith, joining a team that was part of the Joliet Area Hospice.
“I had a great hospice boss at the hospital. She started a branch of the Joliet Area Hospice,” Forsythe said. “I did home visits, but only for a year. It wasn't that I didn't like it, it was just my kids were little, and I was on call a lot going to Wilmington, New Lenox, Joliet and other towns at all hours. It didn’t work out at that point in time.”
Emergency Room
Forsythe returned to St. Joseph, this time serving in the Emergency Department, as she still does to this day.
Working in the emergency room allows Forsythe to practice a skill that can’t be taught––compassion. In the emergency room, Forsythe found her niche.
“Families are dealing with so much and if you can just help them it can literally be the difference between life and death,” Forsythe said. “They have no idea what to expect, and if you can just guide them, it makes a tragedy a little bit easier for them.”
Speaking with Forsythe you get the feeling she rarely loses her cool. She exudes a sense of loyalty, never divulging another person’s weaknesses or pain. Her sense of empathy enables her to guide her patients and their families through the complex maze of our modern healthcare industry.
Getting to the root
of a patient’s pain
Today, Forsythe handles mental health cases rather than critical care and trauma in the emergency department.
“It's an eight-bed unit and it's a safe area,” Forsythe said. “People are most definitely in crisis, but it’s a different type of crisis.”
With mental health services given the proverbial back seat in modern medicine, Forsythe finds her ability to get to the root of a patient’s pain is of more importance than ever. There are days she takes that pain home with her. There are times she cries.
“Yes, there are days when it gets pretty rough,” Forsythe said. “We’re living in incredibly stressful times, and we’re seeing them younger and younger.”
Forsythe finds working with her youngest patients both fulfilling and tragic. As time passes, the number of children experiencing a mental health crisis has increased significantly, and patients are coming in as young as five-years-old.
“When we get kids and teenagers, it's like, ‘Oh my gosh, they should be playing with Barbies or they should be out with their friends,’” Forsythe said. “I see them as young as five and six, and it’s very sad. It's become more and more predominant.”
In a word or a gesture, Forsythe shows these troubled children they are important, and she is there for them. She soothes the panic of their families. She let’s them know that there is healing.
You never stop learning
Forsythe recounted a case of a non-verbal autistic man who showed her that life’s lessons never truly end. There is always something new on the horizon.
“One of the young nurses made print-outs with pictures and he would point to what was bothering him,” Forsythe said “We learned certain foods that he liked, but it took a long time to understand. It was quite a lesson for all of us.”
At the age of 71, Forsythe finds herself continuing to learn and to develop. Her willingness to keep striving, to understand humanity at its most vulnerable, is a factor in being chosen Nurse of the Year. Though she’s eligible, Forsythe hesitates to retire.
“If I retire, I fear my brain will turn to mush,” she said. “I feel very lucky to have the life that I have––the health I have–– and my family. A lot of people don't have that. I see it all the time. When I find myself having a pity party for myself, I’ll see someone in very bad shape, and I tell myself, ‘You don’t have it so bad at all.’ And I get on with life. That’s important.”
When asked what advice she’d give to someone experiencing a mental health crisis, Forsythe gave a no-nonsense answer.
“Ask for help,” she said. “Everyone deserves to be happy. And sometimes you just need somebody from the outside telling you that you're worth it.”
If you’re experiencing thoughts of suicide or need emotional support, call the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988.