HealthLinks Upstate March/April 2021

72 | www.Ups tatePhys i c i ansSC . com | www.Hea l thL i nksUps tate. com JOYLYN ROBINSON, BSN, MSN Joylyn Robinson has a passion for teaching and nursing and was able to find a way to combine both into a career as the director of health services with Spartanburg County School District 7. “I debated between teaching and nursing for quite some time,” she said. “I knew deep down that I always wanted to do something that would allow me to care for others.” It wasn’t until she became involved in Black Achievers, a community organization geared toward the development of multifaceted, career-oriented youth of color, that she was in- troduced to the medical field and the limitless opportunities it provides. “Nursing education allowed me to combine both nursing and teaching. It was a perfect career for me,” she said. Her advice to aspiring nurses: “Give yourself grace. Nurs - ing can be rigorous and unpredictable, but, with just a bit of self-given grace, you will continue to come back, continue to try, continue to learn and succeed.” TAMI GILBERT, BSN, RN For Tami Gilbert, nursing was a calling. At a young age, she would pretend to feed her ailing great-grandfather, and, as she grew, she bandaged her Barbie dolls and even gave them pretend feeding tubes. In high school, she became president of the Red Cross Club and got CPR certified. She also worked with the Special Olympics. When she received her RN, she started in the emergency room, then worked in home health and as a travel nurse. It was when she was living in Arkansas that she became aware of her true passion. “I began working with medically fragile and special needs students at a school. I worked with these students for three years before moving back to South Carolina,” she explained. She was excited to be moving back home to the Palmetto State but sad to leave her students. She found her dream job at McCarthy Teszler School, a school for children with special needs. “I am constantly challenged, but I feel like I am in heaven every day at work. I am surrounded by angels of all ages, sizes and abilities, and I love every one of them,” she said. NANCY WARREN, BSN, RN Nancy Warren’s career in nursing be - gan in the NICU. For 12 years, she cared for newborns and taught parents how to care for their babies. Now she serves a very different population but still enjoys the “teaching” aspect of the medical field. “I currently work with the homeless population. They have unique medical and teaching needs. It can be challenging, but we have a great team. Everyone has special gifts to serve this patient population,” she said. Warren works as the Health Care for the Homeless program nurse patient care coordinator/educator for New Horizon Family Health Services. Her advice to aspiring nurses: “Remember each patient is a unique individual. Meet the patient where they are to help build trust and hopefully increase compliance with medications, diet and needed lifestyle changes.” T H E P U L S E O N UPSTATE NURSES HOPE CUMMINGS, BSN, RN Respiratory therapy was where Hope Cummings began her career in nursing. Because she had a passion for providing compassionate care for people, due in part to her upbringing of caring for her grandparents, she de- cided to pursue nursing. She now works for Shriners Hospital for Children in Green - ville. She enjoys her work there because she said she sees not only local children but children from other parts of the nation and even outside of the United States who all have special orthopedic needs. “I’ve also had the opportunity to further our hospital’s mis - sion by traveling to El Salvador with our chief of staff to bring life-changing treatment to children there,” she said. “I will always be thankful to each child that I have had the opportu - nity to serve.” She concluded: “If I may offer any pearls of wisdom to aspiring nurses, it would be to work hard, pursue learning opportunities without hesitation and thank God each day for your health and ability to serve others.” HealthLinks Upstate has partnered with KUDZU MEDICAL STAFFING to highlight some of the Upstate’s top nurses.