Andrea Hampton has been a registered nurse at the Oklahoma Center for Orthopedic & Multi-Specialty Surgery (OCOM) for nearly 10 years. And there’s a lot that keeps her inspiration pumped.
“I love that we are very family oriented,” said Hampton, clinical manager at the outpatient and inpatient surgery center in Oklahoma City. She celebrates the many successes of the nursing staff.
The company focuses on making sure the employees are having their needs met for exemplary patient care, she said. New nurses are accepted as part of the extended family of professionals who work so well together.
Hampton loves getting the day going. She arrives at work to check on all the departments and tracking the staff.
“I start helping people with needs whether that is talking to doctors and getting issues resolved with their patients or contacting pharmacies,” Hampton continued. “I do whatever I can to help the staff make their experiences smoother for patients.”
Being a nurse is a loving way for Hampton to help people and solve their problems, by caring for people who truly appreciate the care given to them.
Listening to patients compliment her about the staff makes her proud to be a manager and leading nurses to carry out best practices.
Life experiences instilled an interest in nursing for Hampton as she grew up. Her mother was in and out of the hospital when Hampton was a child.
“I actually had a couple of injuries myself, and just enjoyed the orthopedic aspect of things,” Hampton said.
One of the founding physicians of OCOM was her attending doctor when she broke her arm as a 10-year-old. Surgery, recovery, and her discharge process embedded in her memory.
For anyone considering a nursing career, Hampton would encourage them that their opportunities are endless. She is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma College of Nursing. Studies there were intense, Hampton said. She saw the light at the end of the tunnel when it was close to the end, she added.
“Get your feet wet and, if it’s something that doesn’t feel right — move on to the next,” she said. “Continue until you find something that you love.”
Some nurses have paused or left their careers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Others, like Hampton, have maintained and moved forward stronger than ever. Every day is a new day.
“Just because COVID happened doesn’t mean the rest of the world stops. People still need to be taken care of. So just being able to be here to help them with their needs, you have to continue on,” she said. “You do what you have to do to protect yourself as well as the patients and provide the best care that you can.”
For more information visit: https://ocomhospital.com/
