VALDOSTA — Often as a community we celebrate the military, police officers, firefighters and doctors. However, it is not often that as a community we take the time to celebrate and give thanks to a profession that soothes, comforts and saves — nurses.

National Nurses Week is celebrated annually from May 6, also known as National Nurses Day, through May 12, the birthday of Florence Nightingale, who is the founder of modern nursing.

In honor of this week, The Times selected a recent nursing graduate and two experienced nurses to highlight the emotional and often physical struggle nurses endure everyday to complete work that many believe isn’t a job but a calling.



Whitney Holland

Whitney Holland, a native of Hinesville (an hour out from Savannah), was in the nursing program at Valdosta State University for two years. Before attending school at VSU, Holland was at the University of Georgia completing core classes. On Saturday, May 5, Holland graduated summa cum laude with her bachelor’s degree in nursing.

Holland has known she wanted to be a nurse since she was 14 years old and her nephew was diagnosed with insulin-dependent diabetes at the age of 4.

“After that experience and seeing the impact that the nurses had not only on my nephew’s life, but in my life as well, inspired me to want to be a nurse and make a difference in people’s lives,” said Holland.

While still in high school, Holland completed a CNA program and became a certified nursing assistant. She liked the idea of being in a profession where her direct actions can have an impact on someone’s life.

“I love caring for others and being a patient advocate for vulnerable populations,” said Holland.

Holland’s time at VSU has prepared her for nursing.

“VSU’s College of Nursing has a pretty rigorous curriculum that requires a lot of sleepless nights due to studying for Assessment Technologies Institute (ATI) progression exams, clinicals, check-offs and general tests,” said Holland. “I believe that it has thoroughly prepared me to be a well-rounded nurse specifically focusing on providing culturally competent care, evidence-based care and a huge emphasis on infection control and effective medication administration.”

Before graduation, Holland finished her preceptorship (130 hours total) at Archbold Memorial Hospital in the mother/baby and nursery unit.

“I loved every minute of it,” said Holland.

Nursing school is the most demanding thing she has ever done. It consumed her life, but it was worth it because she gets to do what she loves everyday.

Though Holland has a bachelor’s degree in nursing, she’s not done yet. She has plans for graduate school to become either a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) nurse practitioner or a certified nurse midwife after getting four to five years of experience in a local hospital in an obstetric — such as labor and delivery, postpartum, nursery or NICU — area.



Caitlin Weisbrod

Caitlin Weisbrod has been at South Georgia Medical Center for 12 years. Initially, she started as a night admit clerk, then became a patient care tech and finally landing the job of emergency-room nurse where she has been for 11 and a half years.

“Days are generally very busy even with a full nursing staff,” said Weisbrod. “It’s not unusual to go a long ways between meals and potty breaks.”

Though Weisbrod’s job is hectic, it’s the little things that keep her going. For example, she often gets a good chuckle from patients who come in due to “do-it-yourself” accidents such as falling through ceilings, people super-gluing themselves to things and even foreign-object retrievals.

Though Weisbrod always knew she wanted a career in health care, she didn’t settle on nursing until a few years ago. Weisbrod obtained her bachelor’s degree in biology from Valdosta State University and it was during this time that she got her first taste of the profession.

“First time in the emergency-department environment was as a admit clerk in college and I thought it was noisy and very chaotic and I was very uncomfortable until I got used to it,” said Weisbrod.

Time spent at the hospital and time spent around other nurses prompted her to seek nursing as a profession.

“It is very stressful at times but I find it greatly rewarding to be the one at the patient’s bedside,” said Weisbrod. “Now I can’t imagine working anywhere else.”

A typical day in the ED involves caring for people of every age, race, gender, health condition and social background imaginable.

“It is the anything is possible today mentality that makes ED nurses maybe a little quirkier than most,” said Weisbrod.

Though it gets pretty crazy in ED, Weisbrod still takes the time to pause and reflect on the touching moments that happen in her department.

She recalls an instance a few months ago when the nurses in ED took care of a very young patient with a traumatic brain injury that ended up passing away. Weisbrod and the other nurses found out later the family had graciously agreed to donate the patient’s organs and LifeLink (an organ donation agency in Georgia) wrote a letter to the ED notifying the nurses that several of his organs were successfully transplanted to multiple recipients some of whom had been waiting for many years.

“It was very satisfying to know that many of us at SGMC had a small part in changing a tragic loss into a joyous occasion for many sick patients and their families,” said Weisbrod.



Julie Williams

Julie Williams is the director of labor and delivery/nursery at Smith Northview Hospital and has been a nurse for 17 years.

“I don’t think of it as a decision. I feel like it was what I was always meant to do,” said Williams.

After high school, Williams was awarded a scholarship to the practical nursing program at Valdosta Technical Institute, which is now Wiregrass Georgia Technical College. Her first nursing job was at Berrien Nursing Center. At only 19 years old, she worked as a licensed-practical nurse. She had to resign due to the residents not allowing a “little girl” to administer medication to patients.

After working as an LPN, she attended Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College where she obtained an associate’s degree in nursing.

In 1995, Williams began working at the original Smith Hospital until 2000. In 2002, she came back to Smith Northview and has been there ever since.

“I have wanted to be a nurse since I was a small child,” said Williams.

Williams’ mother has told her stories of how she would approach her grandfather, place her hand on his forehead, and tell him he had a fever. She would then bring him Rolaids as medicine.

Working with new babies and mothers is something that is incredibly rewarding for Williams.

“I work in an area where you witness miracles on a daily basis,” said Williams.

She feels honored to be a part of these families’ lives as they make additions to their families. It is this sentiment that led her to choose her path as a nurse.

“I remember observing a delivery as a student nurse and I was in such awe of this amazing thing,” said Williams. “I stood watching the couple interact with each other as she progressed with labor and, after the baby was delivered, I stood in the corner with tears in my eyes as the couple loved on this new life.”

Williams has a deep recognition of what it means to be a nurse. She feels that being a nurse is more than passing medications and implementing physicians’ orders.

“A nurse is a caregiver to the patient and their family,” said Williams. “A nurse is a patient advocate, someone who manages the care of a patient while they are in the hospital.”

Aside from doing exactly what she feels she was meant to do, Williams feels fortunate to work with who she feels are the best physicians and nurses.

“It’s a great feeling to be able to come to work and truly love what you do and love the people you work with,” said Williams.

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