By Elijah de Castro
The Keene Sentinel
KEENE, N.H. 鈥� When Matthew Paille joined Cheshire Medical Center鈥檚 ICU as a rookie registered nurse in July 2020, it was at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 easy being a new nurse,鈥� said Paille, of Rockingham, Vt ., who had just started in Cheshire Medical Center鈥檚 surgical unit the previous year right after graduating from nursing school.
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鈥淚 moved to the ICU when COVID was in full force and every patient was on a ventilator, and multiple patients were there for weeks at a time.鈥�
Originally from Grafton, Mass., Paille, 44, used to work at a plant processing junk mail before he trained to be a firefighter. Part of the curriculum was an EMT course where Paille discovered that his passion was in health care. 鈥淚 liked the health care portion more than going into buildings and doing the fire aspect of it,鈥� he said. He then served as an Emergency Medical Technician in ambulances in Worcester, Boston and Brockton.
In November, about five years after he arrived at Cheshire Medical Center, Paille was awarded the Keene hospital鈥檚 Hubbard Nursing Award, alongside registered nurse Meghan Cicchi, who works in Cheshire鈥檚 Medical-Surgical Unit. The award recognizes compassion, sensitivity and excellence in patient care. More than 20 nurses were nominated for the award, according to the hospital.
Paille isn鈥檛 the only one in his family in health care. His sister Roxanne is a certified nursing assistant at a long-term care facility in Massachusetts.
While he was an EMT, seeing the advanced levels of care that nurses provided 鈥渞eally motivated me to go to nursing school,鈥� Paille said. He got his nursing degree from Mount Wachusett Community College when he was 37.
The physical demands of being a new ICU nurse during the height of the pandemic took time to adjust to, Paille said. It was particularly challenging for him and other nurses in the ICU, since 鈥淸you鈥檙e] getting into isolation gear to go into the rooms, or worrying [about] getting sick yourself and bringing something home to family.鈥� The hospital has between 15 and 20 ICU nurses, he said, and 鈥渋t was stressful and super, super busy.鈥�
During some parts of the pandemic, Cheshire鈥檚 ICU was overwhelmed by COVID patients, and some patients spent multiple weeks on ventilators.
Registered nurse Jeannine Lucius worked with him on many night shifts 鈥渁nd it was obviously very stressful being in that situation,鈥� said Lucius, who has worked at Cheshire Medical Center for 15 years. Even during the most intense periods of the pandemic, 鈥渉e always seemed to have a very cool demeanor, and [was] very patient.鈥�
Beyond the pandemic, Paille sees the effects of common community health issues impacting the region on a regular basis. This includes chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and congestive heart failure, as well as overdoses, which have caused fewer deaths in recent years but still remain a critical health issue locally.
That鈥檚 why Paille views nursing as an ongoing education. 鈥淚t鈥檚 almost like detective work to really know what鈥檚 going on.鈥�
Additionally, he recently got a wound care certification after taking a nursing course in Providence, R.I. Wound care involves the treatment of injuries ranging from cuts to complex lacerations. 鈥淚t gave me a better understanding of how the care of a wound care nurse works, how involved it actually is.鈥�
Paille said he is always learning on the job, since patients in intensive care tend to be fragile and need complicated support.
A patient with end-stage kidney disease, for instance, needs to be on dialysis continuously. They may need several blood pressure medications, a host of intravenous drugs and be on a ventilator.
鈥淎s nurses, we still have to troubleshoot and know what鈥檚 going on and when to intervene,鈥� Paille said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not going in and just handing out a couple of medications.鈥�
ICU nursing is considered one of the most stressful positions within health care, and burnout is very common. That鈥檚 why 鈥渢he calm presence in the room is going to make or break the situation,鈥� Lucius said.
One of the ways Paille manages the stresses of the job is by spending time outdoors with his fianc茅e, Jessica Swift, an editor and writer.
鈥淚 try to leave work separate from my life,鈥� Paille said. 鈥淭hat was the whole reason why I moved up here was I love to hike. I do a lot of hiking, camping, backpacking. ... During the cold weather here we do a lot of ice fishing.鈥�
漏 2026 The Keene Sentinel (Keene, N.H.).
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