A Helping Hand

One of the great things about starting a career at Northside Hospital is that you never know how far you can go, especially when you have great teammates to support you. That has certainly been true for me and many of my colleagues, perhaps none more so than Christie H., who is now a proud member of the Nurse Residency program in our Blood & Marrow Transplant Unit.

Christie’s incredible journey, which started in 2000, showcases the true culture of Northside Hospital and illustrates how we harness the real power of mentorship, internal mobility and personal and professional growth.

When she joined the Northside family, Christie started in Environmental Services and found it to be vital work that she enjoyed. But she was inspired by others around her to do more, and she took advantage of a Northside Hospital training program to become a CNA.

Christie enjoyed her new job and found joy working with patients in the Post Anesthesia Care Unit and Labor & Delivery before joining our BMT team.

That’s where she met Tricia C., a Nurse who came to Northside in 2001. Almost right away, Tricia urged Christie to consider nursing school, believing she already had what it took to become a great nurse.

Christie, however, was a bit hesitant. It was a big step and she wasn’t sure she was ready for it. Tricia, however, continued to encourage her. Gently. And it worked – eventually. As Christie herself later said: “Tricia saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself.”

Tricia’s gentle insistence and encouragement are marks of a great colleague and an even better mentor. And in this case, it worked wonders for Christie.

Christie completed her nursing prerequisites at Atlanta Metropolitan State College and went on to Nursing school at Chamberlain College of Nursing. She graduated in 2017 and entered the Northside Hospital BMT RN Residency Program in August 2017.

It’s stories such as these that make me so proud to be part of the Northside Family. Co-workers who are willing to lend a helping hand and, as in Christie’s case, become a guiding light for someone, embody the values that make Northside Hospital such an incredible and rewarding place to work.

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