Two new nurse residents at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Plano were drawn to the hospital and to Texas Health Resources early on – one during rotations in a high school program.
“We often hear neat stories from new employees on their ‘why’ they chose to join our team and Emily and Anthony are good examples,” said Fraser Hay, hospital president. “We are a highly sought-after place to work because of our culture and our reputation in the community. We are having an important impact on our future workforce through our willingness to educate and mentor students.”
Emily Miller, R.N., heard about high school nursing rotations while she was still in middle school and decided then she would sign up when she was old enough. She did and visited Texas Health Plano and other area hospitals while attending Plano Senior High School.
She was struck by how “all the nurses at Texas Health Plano were so nice to explain things to me. Of course it went over my head, but I remember five years ago how nice, team-oriented and willing they were to take the time to be with a high school student and explain things to me before I was even in nursing school.
“That had a lasting impact.”
The experience also convinced Miller that nursing was the right career choice. “I was like, ‘Yes, I can handle the blood.’” She went on to earn her bachelor’s degree in nursing at Abilene Christian University.
Because Plano is home, she looked for a nursing job in the area and was hired at Texas Health Plano on the medical-surgical-telemetry floor in October. She hopes to eventually work in the neonatal intensive care unit or mother-baby unit but is in no rush. “This is exactly what I need to work on now, because I’m seeing everything.”
She added, “No matter what unit I work on, I want to stay at this hospital. I know when I show up everyone’s going to be nice to me. I haven’t felt like a burden.”
Serving communities
For Anthony Nguyen, R.N., a nurse resident on the Texas Health Plano medical-surgical floor who also started in October, his “why” for wanting to work at Texas Health Resources stems from an appreciation of the system’s focus on serving communities.
While working on his nursing degree at the University of Texas at Arlington, he did clinical rotations at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Flower Mound and Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Hurst-Euless-Bedford.
Though he also did rotations at other systems’ hospitals, he was attracted to “the community aspect of Texas Health – getting involved with the community, giving back to the community.”
Nguyen, who grew up in the Keller area, also had fond memories of the nurses who cared for his mother at Texas Health Arlington Memorial Hospital during her stay there when he was a child.
He said he’s enjoying working on the med-surg floor because of “the relationships with the patients.” Nguyen said he enjoys meeting the families and seeing patients get better and be discharged.
“I’m looking to stay here,” he said.
Both he and Miller will work under a preceptor for a total of four months, then take classes to complete their residencies.
‘Kind and caring spirits’
Catherine Bates, B.S.N., R.N., SCRN, nurse manager, said, “We are thrilled to have Emily and Anthony on our team! Their eagerness to learn and grow is truly inspiring, and their kind and caring spirits truly demonstrate Our Texas Health Promise Principles every day. We are privileged to continue offering an environment that welcomes residents and students and look forward to having Emily and Anthony continue the culture as they advance in their nursing careers.”
Kelly Martin, chief Human Resources officer, added, “The fact that we attract new care team members by virtue of our core commitment to the communities we are privileged to serve is one more attribute that sets us apart from other healthcare systems.”
