Healthlinks Upstate March/April 2020

64 | www.UpstatePhysiciansSC.com | www.HealthLinksUpstate.com NORMA WILLEY, RN Norma Willey feels as though it was really a “calling” for her to be a nurse. She started out working in a nursing home as an aide before she decided to commit to a career in nursing. “I enjoyed working with people and seeing the difference I could make in their lives,” she said. She graduated from Piedmont Tech in 1994 and immediately got a job with Self Regional in a cardiac step- down unit. She then went on to home health nursing with Health Related Home Care, which is where she works today. “I have been with Health Related Home Care in Abbeville for 21 years now. I very much enjoy taking care of patients in their own homes. I am blessed to make a difference in their lives and the lives of their family by working to keep them safe at home with their loved ones.” She is also married and a mother to five children. Her favorite quote from Art Williams sums up nursing, she said: “I’m not going to tell you it’s going to be easy. I’m going to tell you it’s going to be worth it.” KELLEY CLUBB, LPN It was Kelley Clubb’s experience with the nurses at her OB doctor’s office when she was pregnant with her daughter that left that lasting impression on her. “The care I received was so great that I knew I wanted to impact someone’s life like those nurses did for me,” she said. She now works in home health and she said, “It has been very rewarding working with patients in their home.” Clubb worked in long-term care prior to her current position, which she believes was a blessing in disguise because the res- idents in the nursing home she worked in touched her heart in many “unexpected” ways. Her advice to new nurses: “Expect the unexpected. Nursing is hard. It is exhausting. But it is rewarding in so many ways that will impact you for the rest of your life. Be kind to your fellow nurses and CNAs/techs. You all are a team, working together to help others. Have an open mind. And to the nursing student: Don’t give up! There is so much opportunity out there.” CARLA WHITE, RN Carla White’s grandmother told her stories about how she would play nurse with her cousins. She said she always knew she wanted to be a nurse. And for White, it all came full circle when she cared for her grandmother, who passed away from Alzheimer’s. “That was when I realized my true calling was to work with the elderly, especially those with Alzheimer’s and other cog- nitive disabilities,” she said. Now as an administrator for Elite Day Center in Greer, she said the aspect of her job that she loves the most is having an impact on someone’s life. Her advice to future nurses: “Be a nurse for the right rea- sons. Hug the crying daughter of the dementia patient who no longer remembers her. Hold the hand and encourage the mom who is doing her best caring for her special needs child. Be an advocate for your patient. It is your responsibility as a nurse to be their voice when they don’t have one.” She concluded, “One thing that is unchanging for a nurse is the purpose to deliver the best possible care to patients each day. I can say I love being a nurse and cherish the re- lationships I have made over the years with my patients and their family members.” STACEY MABREY, RN Stacey Mabrey’s mother suggested that she go into nursing when she was a senior in high school. “My mom kept pushing me toward nursing, saying I would never be without a job and I would have good income. My answer was, ‘How can I be a nurse? I hate needles. I literally pass out when I am given a shot!’” She decided to give nursing a try and enrolled in the LPN pro- gram at Piedmont Tech. She joked, “I made it through nursing school without passing out from needles!” Mabrey realized during clinicals that geriatrics was what she enjoyed. When she graduated with an LPN degree in 2005, she started working at Martha Franks Retirement Community. She began nursing school online to obtain her RN while she was working as an LPN. When she graduated with her RN, she decided to work in a hospital setting in med-surg to gain her year of acute-care experience. Now, with Health Related Home Care for the past eight years, she feels she has found her niche as a nurse. “I love my job, co-workers and patients. One piece of advice I can give to new nurses is to be a team player. Working together helps you give your patients the best possible care.” T H E P U L S E O N UPSTATE NURSES HealthLinks Upstate has partnered with Health Related Home Care to highlight some of the Upstate’s top nurses.