LAKE CITY — There’s no such thing as an ordinary day when you’re an emergency room nurse. Just ask Ashley Hildreth, a registered nurse at Stewart Memorial Community Hospital (SMCH) in Lake City.

“I experience new challenges and rewards each day at work,” said Hildreth, 25, a Calhoun County native who has worked at SMCH since June 2018. “That’s one thing about nursing — you never know what a day will bring.”

During a shift, Hildreth might help someone with an uncontrollable nosebleed, ease the pain of a sick child, or prepare a critically ill patient for a transfer to another hospital via air ambulance. Each task requires a mix of professionalism, efficiency, skill and compassion.

Even though Hildreth is early in her nursing career, she’s already viewed as a leader and mentor. “One of Ashley’s co-workers recently commented, ‘Ashley is the nurse I strive to be,'” said Lara Cornelius, RN, the ER director at SMCH. “This comment came from a seasoned nurse with years of experience.”

Cornelius nominated Hildreth for the Culture Champion Award, which recognizes an employee who embodies the values of SMCH, including compassionate service, “Stewart” ship, communication, safety and teamwork.

“Ashley focuses on making sure that every patient, every time, has an exceptional experience at our organization,” said Cindy Carstens, SMCH’s CEO who presented the Culture Champion Award to Hildreth during an employee appreciation dinner on March 1.

Hildreth also won the DAISY Award recently for her ability to deliver compassionate patient care and exceptional clinical skills. A patient at SMCH nominated Hildreth for the DAISY Award.

“Immediately when I got to the ER, Ashley jumped in to help me. My head was spinning, and I wasn’t even sure what was happening to me, but Ashley was able to help me stay calm, even while she was quickly working to get my IVs in. I don’t have great veins, so this isn’t an easy task. I knew right from the start that Ashley knew exactly what she was doing. That made me feel at ease in her care.”

Health care has been part of Hildreth’s life from the start. Her parents are long-time SMCH employees, including her father, Jim Henkenius, SMCH’s chief financial officer, and her mother, Jodi, an administrative secretary.

“Since both of my parents worked in the hospital setting, I remember spending a lot of time in our hospital when I was growing up,” Hildreth said. “I always envisioned myself working here.”

Hildreth participated in the school-to-career program at SMCH during her senior year in high school in Lake City. For a semester, Hildreth explored nursing, physical therapy and the lab department to determine the best fit for her.

“Through those experiences, I discovered my love for nursing,” she said. “I admired all the work the nurses did for every one of their patients. I could picture myself doing that for the rest of my life.”

After graduating from high school in 2014, Hildreth attended Briar Cliff University in Sioux City. Within days of earning her bachelor’s degree in nursing in 2018, she started working at SMCH. Today, Hildreth primarily works as an ER nurse, although she sometimes works on the medical-surgical floor or in the postpartum unit with mothers and babies.

One thing that surprised Hildreth about nursing is just how emotionally taxing it can be.

“You really do get close to your patients, and it can be hard to watch them go through difficult times with their health. That’s why I always try to do the little things that make patients feel better, like getting them an extra warm blanket, providing a smile, and being their advocate.”

Hildreth’s name appears often in patient surveys.

“One recent comment from the mother of a pediatric patient read, ‘Ashley was incredibly gentle with him. He didn’t even cry! He asks daily if Ashley can change his gauze bandage, because ‘she never hurts me,'” Cornelius said. “Ashley puts her heart into her job.”

When the COVID-19 pandemic exploded in the spring of 2020, Hildreth and her fellow SMCH team members were on the front lines.

“I will always remember the initial uncertainty, when we hardly knew anything about this disease. I think of the family members who weren’t allowed to stay with their loved ones during a time when they were needed the most. Thankfully, we’ve come a long way since the start of the pandemic.”

Hildreth’s professionalism with COVID-19 patients impressed Dr. Atty Kermani, who wrote a note to Cornelius after covering a shift in the ER at SMCH.

“I’ve had many providers talk about how a shift went, and it’s usually a generalization like ‘everything went well,'” Cornelius said. “I’ve never had a provider single out a nurse, but I received a message one day from Dr. Kermani. ‘Ashley stayed with a high-risk patient in a COVID room for two hours,'” he wrote. “‘I really want the hospital CEO and nursing supervisor to know about her. She is so passionate and is a great nurse.'”

Hildreth values the culture of caring that defines SMCH.

“I love the atmosphere here,” said Hildreth, whose own family includes her husband, Conner, and their sons Benson, 2, and Broden, 7 months. “You truly feel like you’re a part of a large family. You’re not just another employee.”

Hildreth also appreciates the miracles she sees through her work, from the birth of a healthy baby to an ER trauma patient who walks away with few or no health impairments.

“Miracles happen every day,” she said. “Sometimes we just have to open our eyes a little more to recognize them.”

This spirit inspires Hildreth as she raises her family and grows her career.

“Each day is truly a gift. I’m so excited to see where this wonderful life, which God has created for me, will go.”