Tayler (right) graduated from nursing school in December, and her husband Chris (left) was there to cheer her on.
Who is the Nurses Week winner? Tayler Y.
Where does she work? Night shift RN on the medical/surgical floor at Miami County Medical Center in Kansas
What does she like to do for fun when she’s not working? Sleep (haha). She also likes to garden, go to the movies and take long road trips with her husband Chris. They also have chickens “that are like pets.”
After chatting with the Nurses Week winner, we learned a few things about her role as a nurse:
When Tayler found out she won a Fitbit during Nurses Week she was…
SUPER EXCITED. She never won anything before in her life. She wanted a Fitbit really bad, and she recently started looking into buying one since it’s something everybody is wearing at her work.
Tayler has only been a nurse for about six months…
She graduated from nursing school in December 2016. She graduated from Fort Scott Community College in Kansas. She previously was working as a patient care technician at Miami County Medical Center, and she decided to become a nurse because of an experience she had as a child. She was diagnosed with Perthes, which is a childhood disorder where the blood supply to the growth plate of the femur or hip bone slows and causes the bone to soften. This leads to the child not being able to walk. Tayler spent a lot of time in the hospital, and her providers there had to reteach her how to walk, so “I kind of wanted to give back,” Tayler said.
Tayler loves being a nurse because…
She loves meeting new people, making them feel better and learning so many different things. “Everybody’s so unique,” Tayler said, adding that the unique cases that come with each of her patients are also probably the hardest thing about her job. Since she works in such a small hospital, there are no specialized floors. Every day she is faced with caring for patients who have totally different needs. This makes it harder not to miss anything, especially for a new nurse like Tayler.
Last week Tayler worked about 52 hours, but despite the long hours and many challenges that are expected for nurses, Tayler loves being a nurse so much that she’s planning to go back to school in June. She is taking an online BSN program at Western Governors University, which is based in Utah.
She thinks travel nursing would be enjoyable but…
She enjoys what she’s learning at Miami County Medical Center and the people she works with. For now, she’s content staying put and building up her professional experience. Tayler thinks that maybe someday she’ll pursue a travel nursing career, but for right now we can find her in Kansas. She also spilled that she’s three months pregnant!
Pregnant and on night shift…
No more caffeine has been a real challenge for Tayler, but she pushes through the night shift by taking walks to keep her awake. She likes the night shift, because of the close team she gets to work with.
“I am surrounded by great nurses who inspire me every day. I truly like what I do. I love meeting new people, experiencing new situations and being there for people when they are at their worst,” Tayler said.
