Changing Someone’s Life

by Vicki Jenkens- Writer/Photographer

Carter Healthcare is a home health and hospice company founded in 1989 by Stan Carter. Their mission is helping people live better lives.
Just one of the many extraordinary nurses you will find at Carter Healthcare is Trinette Jones, LPN. She has been a nurse for a total of four years and has been with Carter Healthcare for almost two years. “I love my job here. The reason I became a nurse in the first place was because I wanted to make a difference in people’s lives,” Trinette commented. (story continues below)

Growing up in Borger, Texas, a little town north of Texas, Trinette moved to Oklahoma City when her husband took a job here. “I was looking for something a little different and when I saw a posting for Carter Healthcare, looking for an LPN QA Representative, I knew this was the job for me. After being here for two months, I realized not only could I make an impact on patient’s lives but nurses’ lives as well. I enjoy talking and learning from so many seasoned nurses that we have working for the company on a daily basis. Everyday, I learn something new and exciting!”
When Trinette was a little girl, she wanted to be a teacher. “That was when I was very young. I changed my mind when I realized that being with children on a daily basis was not my thing,” she said with a laugh. “I attended Frank Phillips Junior College for nursing and that is when I knew that my true calling was to be a nurse, caring for others.”
Trinette possesses all of the qualities that make for a good nurse; strong physically and mentally, detail oriented, compassionate, outspoken when she needs to be, listens before speaking, considerate of others, thinks outside the box and adapts to change easily. All of these qualities rolled into one equals Trinette.
Being a nurse has given Trinette the biggest reward she has ever gotten. “Being a nurse has taught me about compassion, perseverance and learning something new everyday, absorbing information. I am thankful for all of the nurses that I have worked with and have taught me life’s lessons even if they didn’t realize it,” Trinette said. “I am lucky enough to have chosen a career that allows for the capacity of caring for others. I think of it as an honor to do what I do and that honor is absorbed into the facets of my life and my job, giving me pride and the feeling of achievement. I think that I have a good ability to manage different personalities types and bring them together for a common purpose in my position as the Oklahoma QA team lead. I believe this also shows an open mind. I can see problems and solutions from different perspectives and bring them together for a better, effective result,” she added.
“On a personal level, I have a good sense of humor and love to laugh. My social life revolves around my family and a few close friends for the most part. As a mother and a wife, I am fortunate enough to have the support and encouragement of my husband and my children and that gives me a feeling of strength and purpose. My life has not been the easiest, nor the hardest, but it has been rewarding and for that, I am grateful. I have been married to my wonderful husband for eighteen years and have two daughters, Kierrah and Alexis, both teenagers. Those two challenge me on a regular basis. If I can raise two teenage girls, I feel like I can conquer anything,” she said. We also have three dogs; Hercules, a boxer, Cinnamon, Collie mix, Chloe, Chihuahua, and last but not least, Timmy, the tortoise.
Asking Trinette how the Coronavirus has changed her life, she replied, “My family and myself always wear a mask when we are in public and we avoid large crowds. Even though I work in an environment where we are spread out, I always take off the attire that I wore for the day once I get home. I think the biggest change has been the school’s virtual schedule in our area where the girls go two days a week, then are on virtual learning the rest of the week. I had forgotten how difficult seventh grade algebra is.”
Summing up Trinette’s life in three words, she replied, “Exciting, adventurous, and comical.”