HOPE: A Real People Pleaser

by Vickie Jenkins, Staff Writer

At the Children’s Center Rehabilitation Hospital in Bethany, OK is where you will find just one of the many highly skilled nurses, Hope Harbaugh, RN.
Hope grew up in Tulsa, OK, graduating from the University of Tulsa. She decided to pull up her roots and move to Oklahoma City, OK after she became a nurse. Spending much of her time volunteering at camps for children with special needs, she was given the opportunity to work at the Children’s Center.
What qualities do you think make a good nurse? “A nurse definitely needs to have plenty of compassion and be organized in a way to prioritize things in the right way,” Hope replied.
What is your favorite part of your job? “I love my job here. I think my favorite part is when the kids come in one way and they improve so much the next time. What a blessing! Just seeing the children smile or hear them laugh; watching them grow and improve and seeing how they live up to their potential,” Hope replied.
“The biggest challenge is not seeing the children improve as fast as we want them to. Being a nurse makes me want to be the fixer or the healer and sometimes, we have to be patient with each child as we wait for the child to improve,” Hope answered.
Hope was influenced to be a nurse by her grandfather who was a doctor. “I remember spending a lot of time at his doctor’s office and I loved hanging out there. I liked the way he had such a positive interaction with all of his patients. Back then, he convinced me to be a people pleaser and work hard in everything I did. I think I have survived the true meaning,” Hope commented. “I feel like I had a real calling to be a nurse. I love taking care of people, getting to know them and hear their stories,” Hope added.
When asked Hope to describe herself, she said, “I have helped with the special Olympics and different camps for the handicapped. I am an advocate for children and speaking out for them. I am family oriented and like being close to my friends.”
“My biggest asset at work is my patience. I go with the flow and enjoy taking care of all ages of children here at the Children’s Center, I’m not picky and I won’t argue about anything,” Hope commented.
Since Hope is a fairly new nurse at The Children’s Center, it was a real honor for her to receive the core value ‘Compassion Award’ recently. It was easy for others to cast their vote for her.
Hope has been on quite a few mission trips with her family and her church group; helping others in Africa and Mexico. She also spends a lot of her time at different camps for children, such as Make Promises Happen. “I love going on mission trips. I recently got back from a trip to Mexico where we built houses and helped with Vacation Bible School. I can’t wait to go on another trip like that,” she said.
What is your all-time favorite T.V. medical show? “Even though that is an old one, I always liked Grey’s Anatomy. Of course, a new and improved version of Grey’s Anatomy is up and running now. “I’ve seen The Good Doctor several times and it looks like a good T.V. show. That may become one of my favorite shows,” she said with a laugh.
What advice would you give to someone going into the medical field? “I would tell them to never give up, even though it might be easy to do. Yes, there will be plenty of ups and downs and there will be some struggles, just hang in there and don’t give up!”
Asking Hope what she wanted to be when she was little, she replied, “I wanted to be a boy so I could play baseball. They wouldn’t let girls play at the time,” she said with a laugh.
“I am such a quote person and this quote got me through school; ‘She believed she could so she did.”
Summing up her life in one word, Hope said, “There is one word that I can think of that would describe my life and that would be, Blessed!”