Local nurses open up about motivation, challenges
In advance of National Nurses Week (May 6-12), local nurses shared their stories. L-R: Registered nurse Whitney Banks, Blue Ridge Regional CEO/CNO Tonia Hale and registered nurse Ashley Gouge.
Ashley Gouge and Whitney Banks are living their childhood dreams.
The two are nurses at Blue Ridge Regional Hospital, making good on their childhood hopes of becoming nurses. Gouge works in the outpatient unit. Banks is an acute care nurse.
For Gouge, it started when she visited hospitals as a kid alongside her dad, who was a pastor.
“I thought it was something great,” she said.
Banks had aspired to become a nurse since she was a kid living in Yancey County. She was a CNA at Blue Ridge Regional for several years before becoming a registered nurse.
“When I finished school, I hoped that I could stay here,” Banks said.
For both, working amid a global pandemic presented unique challenges.
“It’s been stressful on everybody,” Gouge said. “You rely on your coworkers, your family and your faith to get you through.”
Banks echoed that sentiment, adding that the tight-knit team at Blue Ridge Regional makes her job easier.
“You grow that connection and that bond,” she said. “You’re able to learn. I’m excited to come to work. I feel blessed and honored that I get to work here.”
Banks said being a CNA at BRRH before becoming a registered nurse made her more prepared than other young nurses.
“The girls I worked with when I was a CNA taught me a lot,” Banks said. “I feel like I was a little more advanced.”
Gouge and Banks had similar paths. They love the impact they now have on their community.
“Of course, it makes you feel good to hear people express their gratitude about what a difference you make in their lives,” Gouge said. “That’s part of what is rewarding about the job. It’s not the reason you do it, but it does make you feel good. It’s nice to help motivate you and keep you going when someone tells you that you made a difference in their life.”
For Banks, helping her neighbors is an experience she doesn’t take for granted.
“It means a lot to me,” Banks said. “It’s people you see out. It’s people you know personally. It’s rewarding to know you played a part in their care.”
Amid pandemic burnout and general staffing shortages, nurses are needed more than ever. According to data compiled this past March, 28% of the nation’s nursing facilities reported at least one staffing shortage.
The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that the employment of nurses will grow by 9% through 2030.
Blue Ridge Regional Hospital Chief Nursing Officer and Chief Executive Officer Tonia Hale encouraged anyone interested in helping others to follow their calling.
“Nursing is very gratifying in many ways,” she said. “I think most get into it because they want to help others.”
Hale said she’s always working with young people who might have an interest in becoming nurses and helps them continue to gauge their interest in the field as they move closer to being ready for the workforce.
“Don’t let a pandemic keep you from being what you want to be,” Hale said. “Aspire to be what you want to be.”
As she waits to see the next generation of nurses graduate into the field, she remains proud of her team at BRRH— people like Gouge and Banks who wake up every day ready to help their neighbors.
“They have stepped up. I couldn’t ask for a better team,” Hale said. “They always step up and take whatever is coming and face it head-on. They’re truly heroes. There aren’t enough words I can give to tell how much we should celebrate and appreciate them.”