In Liz Baumgardner’s family, you’re either a nurse or a mechanic... but tuning up cars didn’t sound as rewarding as tuning up people.
"I was a rebel and didn’t want to be a nurse," Baumgardner said. "But after helping my mom and sister study, and realizing I really liked helping people and talking to people, I saw that I could make a difference in people’s lives."
National Nurses Week is celebrated May 6 - 12 annually to recognize nurses’ invaluable contributions to society. Baumgardner earned her nursing license in 2010 and worked as a registered nurse in Amarillo for several years before coming to Pantex as a secretary in Explosives Technology. While she loved that job, Baumgardner felt a calling to go back to nursing. For the past year, she’s worked in the Occupational Health Services (OHS) clinic with great appreciation and empathy for the Pantexans she treats daily.
"I worked up North for three-and-a-half years, so I understand what it takes to leave work and come to the JCDC for a physical. Our site is so unique in the way that it is set up; I feel lucky having the experience working on plant site, because I can extend my appreciation for people showing up to our clinic to be seen and give them the best care possible."
Baumgardner’s day starts before 7 a.m. when she arrives at the clinic alongside her coworkers and gets all the medical machines turned on and calibrated before preparing to see patients. Patients come into the clinic for a variety of things, including getting labs drawn, performing physical therapy, obtaining hearing tests, and more. Medical staff also attend to any on-the-job injuries that happen.
"If you get stung by a bee, get a laceration, or get dizzy on the job, any of those types of things that could happen during your daily work, we are here to make sure patients are safe and taken care of in support of the company," Baumgardner said. "Our clinic has the capability to do a variety of things to care for our workforce."
Sure, Baumgardner loves the sunny side of nursing like taking care of others, but she also enjoys getting to give shots and performing blood draws... just not for the reason you think.
"Drawing blood is what I was most scared about when I went to nursing school," Baumgardner says. "I can be dramatic when it comes to needles — I’m terrified. But that’s what motivated me to be really good at it. I like to excel at things not everyone is good at. Now, I love starting blood draws because I overcame that fear so I could care for others."
There are four nurses, three nurse practitioners, and two physicians in OHS all working to provide a multidisciplinary health defense to safeguard our skilled workforce. Since it’s an occupational clinic, their duties are both similar and different from traditional clinics in many ways. Outside clinics typically deal with acute care, while nurses in OHS conduct long-term basic patient care and perform immunizations, flu shots, and tetanus shots when applicable.
"We all just show up and do what we have to do to take care of our patients," Baumgardner said. "We rely on each other. Everyone on our team is phenomenal at what they do. If someone is not there, the others pick up the slack."
Baumgardner said her team just wants to make everyone feel welcome — and feel better in the medical department. During National Nurses week and throughout the year, we thank them for their dedication to taking care of others.
"I love being a nurse," Baumgardner said. "The best thing you can do for someone that day is make them smile. If I did that, I did my job. I love helping people, and this career gave me the confidence to realize I’m capable of doing anything I put my mind to."