Memorial Heroes: Ava Crichton, RN
July 30, 2020
What is your official title?
Registered Nurse with my Bachelor of Science in Nursing.
How long have you worked here at Memorial Medical Center?
I am one month of away from working at Memorial for two years!
How did you come into this position?
I came into this position because I knew I wanted to start my career in the hospital and was drawn to the 6th floor for their specialties in Orthopedics and Oncology.
What was your motivation for a career in Healthcare?
I always knew I wanted a career in Healthcare because apart from having a fascination with the sciences and the human body since my early days, I also had this great fear of not knowing what to do in an emergent situation, and was determined not to be that person! It was that drive that lead me in the direction of becoming a Registered Nurse.
What is a typical day like for you?
A “typical” day on the 6th floor is you never know what to expect. Every day can vary.
How would you describe your role’s responsibilities?
Besides the obvious responsibilities of keeping the patients alive, well, and make their stay as enjoyable as possible. As a nurse you also have the responsibility to be kind but yet assertive, to have patience while having a sense of urgency, to use equal parts of brain and heart, to be soft and strong at the same time, to tend to emotion while controlling your own, to show empathy without losing yourself in their story, to be confident but not ignorant, and to stand tall as a leader, representative, and advocate but never too tall for the messy work.
In what areas do you help patients?
There are so many areas the patients receive help. There is the more obvious, the medical management pertaining to why they are admitted, which includes medications, therapy, dressing changes, various tests, labs, etc. There are also deeper ways in which they receive help, like ways to improve their confidence, helping them discover a positive outlook, learning to live with or without something that is new to them (like a new ostomy, peg tube, oxygen, wound vac, drain, amputation), or sometimes the greatest help is simply a hand to hold.
What are some of your interests outside of work?
Outside of work I hold interests in real estate, traveling, going to the gym, spending time with my loved ones, and working on my house!
What is your favorite part about working for Memorial Medical Center?
My favorite part about working for Memorial Medical Center is when I am lucky enough to see improvement in my patients. Often the patient is discharged after a short term stay and I find myself wondering how they recovered. One time I had a patient that was very sick, septic, bed ridden, malnourished, and overly depressed. Less than a year later, I was assigned the same patient. When I walked in the room, I noticed right away the healthy weight gain, new ability to get out of bed and walk the halls on his own, and the greatest smile across his face. Those are the moments that make everything worth it.