As Bolo Bash aims high to bring in major funding for Baptist Health College, meet some of the medical professionals furthering the ripple effect from the school into the communities beyond.
Monica Hall
IV specialist, RN III, retired 2022
Departments: neurology, GI endoscopy, outpatient surgery, bronchoscopy
Graduated: 1981 (LPN program), 1992 (RN program)
Why did you choose this field? God chose me to be a nurse to serve others, therefore I gave it my best providing the best quality of care for every patient and their family placed in my care. Also, my mother retired from nursing after 33 years, and after listening to her stories, seeing the compassion and fulfillment in her eyes impacted me to become a nurse.
What was your proudest moment on the job? One of my proudest moments as a nurse was receiving an unexpected recognition from my supervisor and administration department. After a patient made two separate generous donations to the Baptist Health Foundation in my name, they doubled the amount with a second donation.
What was your biggest challenge in the workplace? COVID was the biggest challenge in all of my 40 years of nursing. Patients were not allowed visitors, wearing masks, the number of admissions and deaths kept rising across all ages. This was such a challenging time for the employees, the facility, patients and families, but we stayed focused on priorities while continuing to give our best.
How did BHCLR prepare you in an unexpected way? Baptist Health College prepared me for nursing with great clinical and classroom teachers that challenged us with hands-on skills and tests while building our confidence and commitment to provide the highest quality care and to be successful, compassionate nurses.
What kept you motivated every day? Knowing that I was able to join in with a team of excellent nurses and staff to give the facility, patients and families the best quality of care they deserved and make a positive difference motivated me to go to work each day. Nursing was certainly a rewarding profession. I am forever grateful for the opportunity to serve the community for 40 years.
Emily Brown
OTR/L, clinical director of Joyous OT
Graduated: 2018
Why did you choose this field? Occupational therapy restores and promotes skills and abilities to help people fully and meaningfully participate in their lives. The more I explored OT, the more I realized what a good fit it is for who I am. I grew up on the autistic and attachment spectrums, so I know what it’s like to live with sensory processing difficulties and trauma. I focused my older teen and young adult years on inner growth, healing my own challenges and cultivating my own strengths. OT lets me give back by serving children and adults who can benefit from my own struggles, discoveries and growth.
What has been your proudest moment on the job? Our clinic specializes in working with clients who have attachment disruptions and developmental trauma. I love every aspect of my job, and there are beautiful moments in every session. We encourage parents to participate in the OT sessions. It is special to see parents and children build bonds of connection, attachment and love through play. Sometimes clients who have experienced severe trauma become emotionally overwhelmed. It is profound to be fully present with them with love in my heart. Overwhelm and frustration pass, and the chaos they feel transforms into peace.
What’s your biggest challenge in the workplace? It can be challenging to find enough OT providers who specialize in attachment disruption and developmental trauma for referrals.
How did BHCLR prepare you in an unexpected way? The BHCLR professors are excellent and caring. The fieldwork placements are highly instructive. I love learning and was pleasantly surprised at the breadth and depth of the program. I learned about a wide range of settings and diagnoses and felt completely prepared to enter the field with confidence, start my own clinic, collaborate with other OTs with ease and even further my education by obtaining a master of occupational therapy degree.
Demond White
RN, Arkansas Children’s hematology/oncology unit
Graduated: 2022
Why did you choose this field? I chose to become a pediatric nurse because I have a serving heart and wanted to help kids. I have a huge passion for kids and love their resilience. When someone goes to the hospital or brings their kid, they trust that you can help them feel better. I also aspired to be like my mother, who is a nurse practitioner.
What has been your proudest moment on the job? Each time I get the chance to spend time with my patients playing games or interacting with them. The smile that comes to their face brings me joy. Also, getting to witness my patient ring the bell because they defeated cancer.
What’s your biggest challenge in the workplace? The biggest challenge I face in the workplace is the not-so-fun part of my job — when a patient relapses or we come to a point where there is nothing else we can do to defeat cancer. It’s getting the news that my patient is stopping treatment and going on palliative care.
How did BHCLR prepare you in an unexpected way? Baptist Health College helped me with the hands-on aspect of the nursing field.
What keeps you motivated every day? Knowing I get to spend time with kids and play games with them. There are times at the end of my shift I tell my patient I am going home for the day, and they get sad. But then I tell them I will be back the next day, and they light up with excitement.
Kelley Hamby
System Chief Nursing Officer, Baptist Health
Graduated: 1994
Why did you choose this field? I spent three summers as a candy striper at Arkansas Children’s Hospital during my teenage years. Seeing the impact the staff made on the patients and families in their toughest and most challenging days was amazing, and still is today. The compassionate staff in our facilities minister to others every day by their actions and words on some of the happiest and saddest days of others.
What has been your proudest moment on the job? I began my career at Baptist Health as an information associate with the goal of attending nursing school to become a registered nurse. Baptist Health has afforded me the ability to achieve my dream of becoming a nurse and to practice my profession.
What’s your biggest challenge in the workplace? Staffing shortages are one of the most significant workforce challenges health care institutions are facing today. These looming shortages have been long-standing issues for decades prior to COVID, but have since been amplified with the added stresses, burnout and workloads resulting from the pandemic. Shortages are projected across several clinical roles including nursing, physicians and support staff. Several studies show there will be more than 190,000 annual job openings for registered nurses through 2032.
How did BHCLR prepare you in an unexpected way? Critical thinking skills. Nursing often involves quickly identifying a problem, determining a solution and implementing effective treatment. Educators and clinical instructors introduce you to critical thinking tools for assessment, diagnosis, planning, implementation and evaluating care.
What keeps you motivated every day? My calling to serve. This has been the most rewarding career I could have ever dreamed of, but that does not mean there haven’t been hard days. Why I get back up every day and do it again is the opportunity to serve and help others.