By Sarrah Peters
News Editor
Natasha Williams, a registered nurse in orthopedics at Gadsden Regional Medical Center, was named the 2015 Patient Choice Award winner earlier this year.
The orthopedic floor has had its nurses honored with this award for the last three years, with Laura Pearce winning the award last year and Misty Cash in 2013.
“We are all very proud of our orthopedic floor,” said Donna Nicholson, GRMC Chief Nursing Officer.
Nominations for Williams called her “a shining star” with “a positive attitude and a smile” who showed “compassion, patience and understanding” to her patients.
“Natasha really cares about her patients,” said a patient’s family member who submitted one of the numerous nominations received for Williams. “(She) went above and beyond.”
Williams, who has been with GRMC for more than a year, received her degree from Jacksonville State University. The California native, who was raised in Birmingham and attended Shades Valley High School, currently resides in Gadsden.
Williams said that when she started at GRMC, she began to look at Laura Pearce as a role model.
“She was a superhero,” said Williams. “I learned from her example.”
When first finding out about the award, Williams was in shock. Pearce echoed Williams sentiment.
“I just felt like I was doing my job,” said Pearce.
The orthopedic floor at GRMC does hip and knee surgeries, as well as other elective bone surgeries. The floor also handles any fractures that come into the emergency room.
The floor’s success can be linked to the nurses love for the job.
“We have a lot of passionate nurses that really love their jobs,” said Pearce. “They’d do anything for the patients.”
All three nurses said similar things: that they love nursing. For Cash, her passion for helping others in the medical field started at a young age.
“I started reading my dad’s EMT basic training books in 5th grade.”
Although she didn’t figure out her passion for nursing until later in life, she always wanted to help people.
