88 | www.Ups tatePhys i c i ansSC . com | www.Hea l thL i nksUps tate. com T H E P U L S E O N UPSTATE NURSES HealthLinks Upstate is proud to highlight some of the Upstate’s top nurses. KATY HAUNTSMAN, RN Since high school, Katy Hauntsman, RN, has always been interested in the sciences, particularly medicine and caring for people. “I wasn't sure exactly what that looked like going into college, but, as I learned more about the nursing profession and all the opportunities it provided, I knew that was what I wanted to do,” Hauntsman said. “I really enjoy working closely with the critical care population,” she added. “I’m working closely with physicians, respiratory therapists and physical therapists, and, as a team, we strive to improve every patient's outcome.” Hauntsman is an ICU/CCU nurse at Bon Secours St. Francis in Greenville. She graduated from Clemson University with a bachelor of science in biological sciences and a minor in psychology. She also earned a bachelor of science in nursing from the university’s nursing program. Hauntsman offers this advice to new nurses: “It is just as important to take care of yourself as it is your patients. If you are not taking the time to decompress at home – whether that's going on a walk, reading a book, calling to talk to a friend – you will not be able to give your full self at work and give the best care you can to your patients and their families.” She remains immensely thankful that she works in a faith-based hospital system. “Our pastors are integral to the team here, and I know they provide a lot of comfort to patients and their families,” Hauntsman said. LORI L. WORKMAN, RN Lori Workman, RN, is quick to note that she is living her happy life as a nurse at Bon Secours St. Francis Eastside in the Emergency Department and as a mother. Employed with Bon Secours St. Francis since November 2011, Workman didn’t plan on going into emergency medicine. But she was facing a two-to-three-year waitlist in another program, and she sensed that God needed her somewhere else. That somewhere else was Bon Secours. “When I started the program, I loved EMS, and I felt like that is where God needed me to be,” she said. Workman graduated from Greenville Technical College in 1999 with an associate degree in health sciences and a major in emergency medicine. Her career started with Greenville County EMS. In February 2011, she earned an associate degree in nursing from Greenville Technical College and joined Bon Secours in November of the same year. “After many years, I decided I wanted to further my education to help prepare myself financially in life to adopt and raise a son,” she explained. “After EMS, I felt like I wanted to continue taking care of people during their time of need and felt like I could continue to do that as an ER RN.” Workman’s journey sparked four pieces of advice to aspiring nurses: • Always continue to learn, and do not be afraid to ask questions. • Always be humble, kind and positive. • Life is too short not to be happy. • Always treat others as you would want to be treated and see your loved one treated. Workman fulfilled her dream of adopting in 2016, after fostering her son for a year-and-a-half. As a mom of and an 8-year-old boy and a nurse, “I’m living my happy life,” she said.
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