PSU Medical Center Nurses Bond with Kickball Tournament

Paige Day, Reporter

The month of May means something more to the nurses who work at Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center.

Every year Penn State Medical hospitals nurses come together to celebrate their hard work with a kickball tournament.  

This year Joanne Massage, heart and vascular nurse, is a captain and is running the yearly event.  She has made a team of her closest and most competitive colleagues to hopefully win the tournament for the 3rd consecutive year.

As the med center was founded in 1966, they only started the tournament 5 years ago in 2013.

“It’s a way to show camaraderie,” Massage said

5 years ago the the nurse’s committee thought it would be a good and fun idea to celebrate with an athletic competition.

For family members they said, “When April comes around the talk goes around, who’s on what team, who going to make a team, and what’s the strategy.”

Most look forward to the games because they are intriguing. People are questioned when a rule is believed to be broken, there’s no cheating because of the significance of the games. “The best part about the games may not be relieving the stress of the job or to have a little fun but, it’s the ambition,” says Maggage .

The players are supported by coworkers and family members who gather and cheer for each team.

This year there are 14 teams that consist of specified units from the hospital. The nurses, secretaries, and occasionally the nurse practitioners and physicians will make up the 14 teams for this year’s tournament.

As for Massage, she said she loves her job even on the hardest days.  The games relieve the stress from her job. It gets her away from the rough days. As for the other nurses they would agree, the tournament lets them escape for a little.  

“Dealing with the sick patients and their families,” Massage said is the hardest thing about her job. All the questions and the sickness makes it hard, but she loves helping them to get the patients back on their feet.

She said she loves the games because of the competition. The nurses have some of the best times and memories from the tournament. It’s something they look back on and think about all the fun they’ve had.  

“The tournament is a big deal for the nurses because there’s a trophy involved and   bragging rights,” said Massage

The competition to win the tournament goes up every year. Winning is a big thing and they’ll win any way they can. The rules are known by everyone. They go from how many guys and girls on team to the logistics of Kickball.

As for bragging rights they’re are brought up till the next tournament begins and throughout the tournament.

By the end of this year’s tournament the nurses hope for more bonding, good memories, and winning.