Picture yourself as a nurse for half a century! Now envision learning from someone with such extensive experience—an individual who has witnessed countless clinical scenarios and has journeyed through the evolution of nursing. One of our ALCS Academy instructors, Peggy Lahar, is this person, and she has been with us since the inception of ACLS Academy. We were lucky enough to have an opportunity to chat with Peggy about her lifelong passion for nursing and teaching.

1. Medical Career Experience & Current Employment: 

My background includes 20 years in critical care and 30 years in perianesthesia nursing. My current role is managing the Pre-Op and PACU for a community hospital, Beth Israel Deaconess Needham. PACU nurses are highly trained critical care nurses who work in a hospital's post-anesthesia care unit (PACU). They care for patients who have just gotten out of surgery and are recovering from the effects of anesthesia. I was fortunate my directors allowed me to develop this role, which covers a broad range of responsibilities, including hands-on management in the day-to-day running of the unit, budgeting and finances, staffing and orientation, and new service education and training. 

2.   Education: 

• Associate Degree, Labouré College of Healthcare

• Bachelor of Science in Nursing, University of Massachusetts

• Master of Science in Nursing & Family Nurse Practitioner, Regis College

• Masters of Business Administration, Cambridge College

3.  What initially drew you to a career in nursing? 

Ever since I was a child and experienced my surgery, I have always wanted to be a nurse. My nurse was compassionate and kind, allowing me to push some buttons and holding my hand as she guided me to the OR. My parents tried to talk me out of pursuing the profession due to the long hours, the requirement to work holidays, and poor compensation. But I knew this was my calling. I’ve never regretted my decision, but I had to take a longer educational path than most do today. As I had to finance my education, I started with an Associate’s Degree, which wasn’t common in the 1970s. Today, most nurses begin with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, which I achieved later in my nursing journey.

4. After so many degrees specializing in Nursing, tell us more about your pursuit of an MBA.  

I tend towards a seven-year itch when it comes to education and the desire to further my knowledge and career. For the last 25 years of my career, I’ve alternated between a management and a bedside nursing role. As a manager, I didn’t have formal training and performed the role based on instinct. Then, while I was a staff nurse at Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital, the seven-year itch kicked in, and I didn’t see myself going back for a Doctorate in Nursing, and I wanted to move back into management. I knew the MBA would better prepare me for the financial aspects, like budgeting, which accompanies a management role, so I took the MBA path, which has served me well.

5.  Congratulations on celebrating a 50-year career in nursing in May! How has nursing evolved, and how does one keep abreast of the latest best practices in one’s specialty? 

There have been subtle changes in the care delivery models from team nursing to primary nursing and now back to team nursing. However, the fundamentals haven’t changed: providing the best possible patient care and patient safety and economic and national/world events like COVID-19 impact the nursing profession. When the economy isn’t excellent, nurses tend to stay in their current roles and organizations, whereas, in positive economic times, nurses are in high demand and can make the role and organizational changes very quickly; they can go wherever they want.

Then of course there is the evolution of technology and the constant change this brings to everyone, including healthcare. When I started, basic nursing was on paper; now, it is all digital records. During the phase of my career when I worked in the ICU, there were significant advances in ventilated patients and hemodynamic monitoring. Nurses continue to move forward with those changes. You are left behind if you don’t move forward with them and learn, which was a driver in my educational evolution and the pursuit of additional degrees. It is true that the profession of nursing truly is a commitment to lifelong learning. 

6. Teaching Background:  

• When did you join ACLS?  I’ve been part of ACLS Academy since its inception in 2015.

• What courses do you teach?  ACLS, BLS, and PALS. I teach three evening classes and a Saturday class monthly.

• Stories or favorite part of teaching? Empowering my students with knowledge and student interaction with a diverse group of students taking the classes is interesting to learn something from them as well. I’ve had experienced healthcare professionals, such as cardiologists and anesthesiologists, in my classes, and I encourage active participation as they bring so much knowledge to the discussion. It’s a win-win as everyone learns from the discussion and sharing, making the class more interesting and informative.

7.  Why ACLS Academy?  

Shelley and I were both part of the ACLS program at Quincy Medical Center. Shelley was a clinical specialist, and I was asked to set up and run an ACLS program. Quincy Medical Center had a BLS program but not ACLS, so I recruited some of my colleagues to be instructors for the program. Though I wasn’t an instructor at that particular point, I eventually became an ACLS instructor, then subsequently added BLS and PALS to my repertoire of classes I teach. I enjoy teaching, and though I am looking to retire this year, I expect to continue teaching well into retirement.

8.  Training Secret Sauce: 

I have a straightforward approach to teaching. Since I was a critical care nurse for 20 years, I’ve taken many ACLS courses over the years; ten since you have to renew your certification every two years. Some would say the course is known for being challenging, even painful. When I set up the program at Quincy Medical Center, I wanted to make sure my students had the tools to remember the information and be able to apply it in their work. I took what I considered the “best practices” for learning the material from all the classes I attended and used them in my teaching approach. This is still my method of teaching at ACLS Academy. I want my students to be so confident in their skills that they not only pass the certification test but have the confidence, tools, and knowledge to help anyone requiring lifesaving procedures, whether that be someone on the street, in your family, or at work, should the situation arise. 

Post-examination, I also reviewed with the students the questions that they answered incorrectly. I want to make sure they know the correct answer so that they have the information and tools to apply the material in real-life situations.

While following the AHA guidelines, I also appreciate that ACLS Academy provides the opportunity to teach in the style I prefer and does not have a stringent teaching approach to which they expect their instructors to adhere. 

9.  What advice would you give aspiring nurses just beginning their careers, based on your wealth of experience? 

Ask as many questions as possible to ensure the best patient outcome. Post-COVID, there are fewer experienced nurses to learn from; I advise my new nurses to seek an experienced mentor as a sounding board to ask questions before they possibly cause harm. Don’t go it alone. The second piece of advice would be to adhere to Florence Nightingale’s principle of “Do no harm.” Develop a practice focused on patient safety, checking once, twice, or even three times before taking action. Don’t get caught up in the fast-paced environment and do not focus on safety. 

10.  Favorite Pastime outside of work?

My favorite pastime outside of work is spending quality time with family. My husband and I have three children, including twins and six grandchildren. I love spending time with all of them. We continue our family’s traditions of Sunday dinner two to three times a month. We spend a lot of time talking and sharing during these evenings.

I also love to read and needlepoint. I took up needlepoint about ten years ago as something to do at 3-4 a.m. when working a night shift and work was slow. I started out making a quilt for each of my grandchildren, which I hope they pass down to their children. Since I’ve accomplished the grandchildren's quilt goal, I have moved on to needlepoint Christmas tree skirts for each of my children. 

12.  Favorite book genre? 

After a lifetime of learning for work and reading technical books that require studying, my pleasure in reading is pure fluff. My friends and family make fun of me for my choices, but I want to read material that is an escape, not something you need to think about.  The genres I tend towards are romantic comedies and murder mysteries.

13.  Digital books or hardcopy?

I'd prefer digital. The Nook is my preferred device. I loved reading the Outlander series of books, but those “weigh” in at 1300 pages; that is a lot to prop up in bed or a chair. A Nook is much easier to handle, plus when I finish a book, there’s a whole digital library online to choose from immediately. Immediate gratification.