“When it comes to work ethic, Adam sets an example that embodies Our Texas Health Promise Behaviors. He constantly demonstrates how much he cares about our patients, their families and especially our care team,” said Melinda Hirshouer, D.N.P., M.B.A., R.N., MHSM, director of critical care and cardiology.

Here’s more about Golden, in his words:

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

My earliest memory was that I wanted to go to Baylor University to be a lawyer. I have no idea where that idea came from, because no one in my family had ever been to college, much less to become a lawyer. In high school, I was very involved in varsity choir and was the president my senior year. I thought I would go to school for musical theater but had a change of heart when I realized I would probably not make it on Broadway and did not want to be a teacher.

Toward the end of high school, my mom went to community college and became a certified nurse assistant. She enjoyed it and told me I should think about becoming a nurse. After spending time at the hospital with her and the nurses, I was hooked. I can’t imagine doing anything else.

What does a typical workday look like? 

Lots of rounding on patients, families and staff. I’m involved in a number of hospital committees. In between all that, I like to be hands-on helping with the team. It really means a lot to me when they let me be a nurse, even when it’s as simple as pulling a patient up in bed or cosigning a medication. I’m not just the guy with the office. Outside of that, I’m usually working on education or projects for the unit that will help us provide exceptional care.

What’s your favorite part of your job, and what is the biggest challenge?

My favorite part is when someone on my team is successful. Already this year, four of our nurses have gotten the critical care registered nurse certification. I always hope I was able to help in some small way, so that they can do their life’s best work.

My biggest challenge is juggling all the moving parts. I’m very lucky to have a great manager support system at Texas Health Dallas. As a manager group, we really help each other out and build each other up. One time, I was having a really tough day and three managers from the women’s care unit happened to swing by. They made me laugh and got me out of the funk I was in. It’s definitely not like that everywhere you go. Texas Health is different in the best way.

What’s something that most people wouldn’t know about you?

Most people wouldn’t know that I became bilingual at nearly 40 years old. No one in my family speaks anything other than English. I spoke functional Spanish, maybe about 30% fluency, before meeting my husband, Guiomer (pictured at left), who is from Venezuela and speaks mostly Spanish. Even though he would tell me I was bilingual all the time, I didn’t accept it. Then I woke up one day realizing I had been dreaming in Spanish. Speaking a second language is something I’m immensely proud of.

What are some of the ways you strive to serve employees?

Making myself available is a top priority. I want staff to be able to reach me directly. I strive to have face-to-face time with all my team, both day and night. I even changed up my schedule a bit to find a better balance that allows me to be present on the night shift at least once a week. The bedside nurse always has more responsibilities added, and rarely is anything ever taken away. I always look for ways to remove obstacles and make sure they have everything they need to do good work.