By Vickie Jenkins, staff writer
As a child, James Ventress knew one thing for certain: he did not want to work in healthcare. “I said people are gross, and I don’t want to deal with that,” James recalled with a laugh.
Today, after more than a decade in nursing, James can appreciate the irony. Nursing became not only his profession, but a career he has grown to genuinely enjoy.
At Purcell Municipal Hospital in Purcell, Oklahoma, James wears several hats. He serves as Med-Surg charge nurse and nurse educator and continues working in the emergency department. He joined the hospital in January 2023.
Raised in Oklahoma and a graduate of Norman High School, James originally considered becoming an engineer like his father. Architecture also interested him, but he realized a career spent primarily working alone would not suit him.
“I needed to have some person-to-person, some human interaction,” he said. Nursing provided that interaction along with something else he enjoys—problem solving.“Nursing is basically all of that,” James said. “Interacting with people all day, every day, and solving problems the whole time.”
He also saw nursing as a practical career that offered opportunities almost anywhere. After watching his father, an experienced engineer, face a layoff and difficulty finding another position because of his specialized background, James recognized the value of choosing an in-demand profession.
James became an LPN before earning his RN. His first nursing position was at an urgent care in Blanchard. After becoming an RN, he worked in the emergency department at Norman Regional Hospital.
Asked what quality is particularly important for a nurse, James points to patience. “Things everyone can say, compassion and caring, but I think a lot of what we do takes a lot of patience to not try to rush the patient,” he said.
That includes recognizing each patient’s unique circumstances and understanding that healthcare can be frightening and stressful. His compassion extends to fellow healthcare workers as well.
At this point in his career, James considers genuine compassion for both patients and coworkers one of his strongest qualities. People bring personal struggles to work, and he believes understanding one another can make a difference in a demanding environment. “The compassion isn’t just for the patients,” he said. “It needs to be for people you work with too.”
Interestingly, James also influenced someone close to him to enter nursing. His mother returned to school at age 58 to pursue her RN degree after her son became a nurse. She later worked at Oklahoma Heart Hospital and has also pursued travel nursing.
James knows the adventure of travel nursing firsthand. In 2016, he left Norman Regional and began taking assignments along the West Coast. “That’s probably one of the coolest things I’ve done,” he said.
His travels took him from Seattle through Oregon and California. During one assignment, he worked at San Francisco General Hospital while living in Marin County. His commute took him across the Golden Gate Bridge, sometimes aboard his motorcycle.
Motorcycling remains a favorite pastime. James owns three motorcycles and has been riding for about 15 years. His father rides too, and the two occasionally enjoy riding together.
Working in emergency medicine has made James keenly aware of motorcycle risks, so he takes safety seriously, wearing a helmet, jacket and gloves.
He also enjoys photography, an interest that paired perfectly with travel nursing and opportunities to photograph national parks, cities and landscapes.
At Purcell Municipal Hospital, his responsibilities extend well beyond bedside nursing. His charge nurse duties include scheduling, hiring, staff management and rotating on-call responsibilities. He also assists with outpatient IV therapy, including iron infusions, blood transfusions and fluids.
James’ advice for new nurses reflects wisdom he once received from a professor. Beginning a healthcare career can be intimidating because new nurses are surrounded by situations they have never encountered. “You don’t know what you don’t know,” James said.
With time, knowledge and experience replace much of that fear. Nurses learn to recognize when something does not seem right and develop confidence in their judgment. “Learn to trust yourself,” he said.
For someone who once declared healthcare was the last place he wanted to be, James discovered nursing offered exactly what he was looking for, human connection, challenges, problem solving and a career with purpose.
