Nurse in System’s First Residency Class Builds Career

Amanda Williamson, M.S.N., R.N., was one of Texas Health’s first graduate nurse residents in 2010, the beginning of a Texas Health career that steadily advanced using plenty of perseverance and some help from the system’s Tuition Reimbursement Program.

On April 15, she started a new job in a different niche at Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Hurst-Euless-Bedford — she’s an Informatics customer engagement specialist, a job change she made after earning a Master of Science degree in nursing informatics last year.

“I love educating people, and I love to share knowledge,” she said.

After completing her residency, Williamson eventually wound up working in the hospital’s Discharge Lounge and was inspired to continue her education by Tracy Stowe, M.S.N., R.N., NE-BC, manager, Discharge Lounge, Clinical Decision Unit and float pool.

“I kind of took Tracy’s footsteps. She went to Chamberlain [University] College of Nursing,” Williamson said. Stowe went on to get her master’s at Western Governors University, and Williamson followed suit, earning hers at the same university in 2021.

“Amanda has grown so much in her time with the Discharge Lounge!” Stowe said. “She has really embraced growth and development. I am so proud of her and her accomplishments.”

Read more about Williamson:

What did you want to be as a kid, and how did you ultimately choose your career?

I wanted to care for animals and be a vet. But when I was 17, my mother saw classes for nursing assistants and home health aides at the local technical college. She signed me up and the rest is history. I was already working at Texas Health HEB as a patient care technician when I completed my associate degree in nursing from Tarrant County College. After 18 weeks of Texas Health Graduate Nurse Residency (then Versant) on a medical-surgical floor, I moved into the Clinical Decision Unit and later to the Discharge Lounge

What’s a typical workday like in your new informatics position?

First, I talk to the other customer engagement specialist and preceptor, Susan Saniei, who is guiding me in my new position. We check our emails and look for open tickets for anything involving CareConnect One, or physician engagement requests or needs. Our work includes optimization, education and assistance for CareConnect or related needs. We round on all the units to provide at-the-elbow support or answer any questions. We also train newly credentialed physicians, anesthesiologists and other allied health professionals on CareConnect.

What do you think will be your favorite part of your new job, and the biggest challenge?

My favorite part is meeting and working with so many great people. And being able to work through an issue using critical thinking to help people is extremely rewarding. The biggest challenge would be when I can’t figure out someone’s issue. But there is always someone who can. Susan has helped me learn the resources to get the employees the help they need.

What’s something people would be surprised to know about you?

My great-great-grandmother was an opera singer and was published in “Who’s Who” in Los Angeles in the 1930s. I can sing, but I’m too shy to perform in front of many people.

How do you do your life’s best work at Texas Health?

I believe there is a reason for everyone on this Earth. And I believe that my calling is just to help others. If my life can be an example to anyone, I hope that it’s an example of determination and love. I thank God every day for blessing me with where I am in life now and how I got here.