Beyond the Call of Duty: How a Technical College Graduate is Helping a Hospital Unit Care for More than Their Patient's Medical Needs.

During her prolonged stay at Colquitt Regional Medical Center, one special patient has captured the hearts of an entire unit of medical professionals. When the patient arrived on their floor, several employees took note of how meticulous and beautiful her manicure was. However, as her time on the floor grew from days into weeks, her lovely manicure fell into bad shape. One Daisy Award winning nurse produced a little bottle of red nail polish to pamper his patient during a particularly hard week in the unit. As they battled to restore her health, several nurses resolved to provide her with something of beauty to brighten her toughest days in the hospital. They began taking special care of her hands by gently exfoliating and moisturizing her skin, and by keeping her beautiful fingernails painted.

Recognizing the significance of treating the whole patient, Colquitt Regional Hospitalist Dr. Catherine Brown reached out to us here at Southern Regional Technical College to ask for a special favor: a proper manicure for their patient. SRTC Cosmetology faculty member Sojna McDonald recommended our 2017 Cosmetology graduate Rhonda Krizan, owner of Tips & Tangles in Moultrie.

Rhonda has appreciated beautiful nails since she was a small child. “My mom was the queen of a perfect manicure,” said Krizan. “Mama always had perfect nails, perfect nailbeds, and perfect cuticles.” When she was seven years old, Rhonda learned how to give manicures by practicing on her mother and sister at home. However, she did not consider becoming a professional nail tech until many years later. Because of her family’s expectations, Rhonda earned multiple college degrees and enjoyed a successful career in automotive sales and finance. She raised her children and lived her life, but she never forgot her love of taking care of people’s nails. “I love making people smile,” she said. “If life can’t be perfect, your nails can be!”

Life intervened and provided Rhonda with an opportunity to turn her passion into a second career. She decided to return to college, this time at SRTC. “It was the best thing I ever did for myself,” she said. Soon after graduating from the Cosmetology program, she opened her own salon. She said that finally becoming a professional nail tech has made her happy beyond her expectations. “There is nothing better than caring for someone who is having a not-so-good day. I get to smile at them, talk to them, and create something beautiful and special that makes them feel good.”

When we reached out to Rhonda about Dr. Brown’s special request, Rhonda agreed without hesitation. She packed a bag with all the equipment she needed for a perfect professional manicure in a hospital room. Two days later, she met her newest client in a room buzzing with nurses who were excited to see their special patient receive extra special care. After consulting with her client, they selected a full set of nails in a trendy shape and a deep hot pink gel polish that would brighten the whole hospital room. Rhonda set about gently tending to her client’s beautiful hands and nails. After she completed the first hand and moved around the hospital bed to begin work on her other hand, the patient lifted her delicate hand to admire her pretty pink nails. A faint smile brightened her face before she turned to watch Rhonda finish doing what she was born to do.