In Normal Times and in Crisis: The Lionesses of Hillel Yaffe

The title "General Nurse" can be misleading, but these are the women who actually run Hillel Yaffe Medical Center, clinically and administratively, in the evenings and at night, in normal times and in a state of emergency. They respond to every need and are called upon to be many things at once, all at the same time. International Women's Day is the perfect time to learn about the work of Hillel Yaffe's General Nurses. 

Rinat Majadly, “To act professionally, you have to set your emotions aside”

"Being a General Nurse is a very dynamic and challenging role," says Rinat Majadly, who has held the position since 2016. “We are called on to manage a wide range of challenges and conflicts, both clinical and administrative. There are difficult situations where you have to make critical decisions, including decisions with legal implications, under pressure and within a very short time frame." 

Majadly began her career at Hillel Yaffe as a nursing student. After completing her bachelor's degree, she joined the staff as a nurse in the Emergency Department. At the same time, she earned a master's degree with honors from Tel Aviv University and even served as a lecturer and clinical instructor at the Hillel Yaffe School of Nursing. She also completed an advanced course in emergency medicine. 

"One of the most significant events I can remember was when a UAV went down in the Golani training base," she recalls. "Ambulance convoys began arriving one after another carrying wounded soldiers, and we had no idea how many more were on the way or what the scale of the incident would be. I had to keep running the hospital, mobilizing staff and calling in on-call personnel, all while watching injured soldiers, kids, really, coming in with various injuries, while still projecting 'business as usual.’ In that sense, the hardest and most complex part of the job is knowing how to separate operational functioning from your emotional state. The shift from normal to crisis happens so fast that you have to exercise sound judgment under enormous pressure, act with professionalism and put your feelings aside." 

Bella Matatov: "Balancing a demanding career and motherhood is a challenge in and of itself”

"I've been a nurse in Hillel Yaffe's General Emergency Room since 2010," says Bella Matatov. "Three years ago I was appointed to the position of General Nurse, after serving as a shift charge nurse and clinical instructor. Along the way I completed a bachelor's degree in health systems management and a master's in nursing, as well as advanced courses in emergency medicine." 

In her position, Matatov has encountered numerous mass casualty incidents (MCIs). One of them was the terror attack at the Karkur Junction bus stop last year. "We received an initial report of a terror attack and many bodies strewed on the ground. We had no idea how many victims there were," she recalls. "We declared an MCI and began receiving the wounded: children, teens and women of all ages. In that moment, you shift into autopilot. It's only when you get home that you start to process what actually happened. It's very hard to experience these kinds of events, but in order to function at your best and most professionally, you have to set your emotions aside and focus on treating the victims and supporting the staff. For me, being a General Nurse is an incredibly challenging and fulfilling role. My guiding principle is the need to be there for the staff, to support them in everything they need, solve problems and respond to whatever comes up." 

Matatov shares that one of her greatest challenges is balancing demanding hospital work with home life. She is a mother of four, and her eldest son is a combat soldier in the paratroopers. Another son is 16; and she has two younger children, ages nine and five. These days are even more challenging with the children at home, sirens and alerts in the background, and with her needing to get to work, even at night. "Like most career-driven women, I've had to find creative solutions, including relying on grandparents for help. I'm looking forward to calmer, quieter days." 

Luda Plotkin: “From cleaning staff to ICU and organ recovery”

She immigrated to Israel in 1990 with a degree in mechanical engineering in hand. But like many new immigrants, she struggled to find work. She began her career at Hillel Yaffe as a member of the cleaning crew, and after watching nurses in the various departments head home with smiles on their faces, she decided to retrain as a nurse. She studied at the Hillel Yaffe School of Nursing, and after graduating began working in Internal Medicine Department C. She completed a residency in the ICU and spent 25 years as a General ICU nurse. In 2019, she was also appointed the hospital's Transplant Coordinator, and about a year ago appointed General Nurse, a role she has held alongside her transplant coordination duties ever since. 

"No two shifts are the same. There's always a different challenge to face. It's a role that comes with a great deal of responsibility and requires finding solutions to professional and administrative problems as they arise in the field, all while keeping the hospital running normally and smoothly. In our role, there are quite a few high-stakes decisions that have to be made under complex circumstances. I've found myself in the middle of the night bringing together hospital administration, a patient's family, legal counsel, and a team of physicians just to reach a decision about a patient's surgery." 

When asked whether she would have chosen a different path, Plotkin says without hesitation that nursing is her calling. "I serve as both General Nurse and Transplant Coordinator - each role is different and challenging, and yet I feel these are exactly the right roles for me. I feel that I bring my whole self and all my management skills to the work, and that at the same time, I'm doing something that saves lives."