Hometown: Springboro
Where do you work? Bull Family Diabetes Center and Miami Valley Hospital
Describe what's your day is like/what you do: At the office, I teach the classes to educate patients on how to manage their diabetes, how to give insulin and other medications for diabetes. I take a lot of phone calls from patients helping them problem solve when something isn't going well, such as high and low blood sugars, accidentally giving the wrong insulin, or not being able to afford their medications.
At the hospital, I see patients at their bedside and educate them on how to manage their diabetes with survival skills.
Health Care Hero: ‘I became a nurse to make a difference’
What inspired you to get into health care? I have wanted to be a nurse since I can remember. I love helping comfort others. I worked as a candy-striper at Kettering Hospital in high school and knew It's what I wanted to do.
What's a memorable experience you've had in health care? Anytime I see the joy on my patients faces when they are successful in controlling their blood sugars is memorable.
When I worked as a bedside nurse, I had a very special patient with Huntington’s disease. She and her husband still have a special place in my heart. And teamwork with all of my coworkers and the physicians I work with, also has been a memorable blessing.
Health Care Hero: ‘I really love my job’
What do you want readers to know about your job right now: I know it seems like a scary time with the coronavirus, but your health care workers are always there for you.
My job has been very different in the last few months with the distancing. A lot of care has had to be on phone calls, but I still have the same passion. I still love to see my patients’ smiles, even if has to be through a mask.