In the Still of the Night: Nurse Patricia Polonchak Defines Care at Passavant Community

While most of Western Pennsylvania settles into sleep, the lights at Passavant Community remain softly aglow. Through the quiet halls walks Nursing Supervisor Patricia “Patty” Polonchak, RN — a woman whose life’s work has unfolded in the silence of the night.

For 27 years, Polonchak has made the hour-long drive from her home in Venango County to Passavant Community, often through snow, rain, and fog. The long commute is no small commitment, but to her, it has always been worth every mile.

“I love the residents, and I love that Lutheran SeniorLife lets them live their life the way they want to,” she said. “If they want to sleep until 9 a.m., that’s fine. That’s what we mean by promoting an Abundant Life.”

Polonchak began her career at Passavant in 1998. Fifteen years in, she made a decision that would shape not only her work but also her family life as she embraced the night shift. While many view overnight nursing as grueling, for her, it became a rhythm of balance and sacrifice and a way to give her children what mattered most: time.

“I would come home and either me or my husband would make sure the kids got to school,” she recalls. “He’d leave, and I’d sleep until I got them off the bus. Then, I’d spend the evening with them before leaving for work.”

It was a cycle of devotion to her residents at night and to her family by day. The arrangement saved thousands in child care costs, but more importantly, it allowed her to be present for the everyday moments that matter most in a child’s life. Even as her children grew, she kept the hours, finding a certain peace in the quiet of the night.

Her shift runs from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. She checks medicine cabinets, watches over residents as they rest, and responds swiftly when emergencies arise. In the still hours before dawn, she is the one to comfort, to triage, to call families and emergency personnel, ensuring that no resident faces a critical moment alone.

“You’re with them when they need you the most,” she reflects. “While I work while they’re usually asleep, sometimes I see them later on and they remember and thank me for the help. It’s very rewarding.”

To Polonchak, nursing is more than a career. It is a calling rooted in compassion, loyalty, and respect for every person entrusted to her care. For nearly three decades, she has embodied the very mission of Lutheran SeniorLife — to help others live an Abundant Life®.

There is also a certain poetry to her schedule. As her shift ends, she often pauses to notice the sun lifting over the horizon, the birds beginning their morning chorus.

“I think there’s something peaceful to it,” she said. “Getting to watch the light come back in the morning.”

Polonchak said she hopes to finish her career where it began — at Passavant Community, among the people who have become like family.

“I’m happy here,” she said. “I feel very blessed.”