HealthLinks Charleston March/April 2021

80 | www. Char l es tonPhys i c i ans . com | www.Hea l thL i nksChar l es ton . com SAMANTHA A. MARTIN, BSN, RN Samantha A. Martin grew up close to her grandparents and often took care of them when they were sick. She said she was always interested in learning about what was making them sick and how to make them feel better. It came full circle for her when she was able to be with her great-grandfather when he died. “It was my senior year of nursing school. I stayed with my great-grandfather the night he passed. I monitored his vitals and was able to tell that his time was coming soon. I was able to hold his hand right as he sighed his last breath. There was gratitude and validation in that moment that I was in the right profession,” she said. Martin now works for the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center in med/surg. “I have many veterans in my family, and now I have the honor of caring for our nation’s veterans, who are a very vulnerable popula- tion,” she said. Her advice to aspiring nurses: “Don’t hesitate to speak your mind. Trust your instincts. That lack of hesitation will save a life one day.” KELLY BEAUMIER, MSN, RN After earning a bachelor’s degree in marketing, Kelly Beaumier realized her calling lay somewhere else: “My sister is a nurse. She always speaks highly of her profession and how she is able to help people when they need help the most. So, I said, ‘I’ll try nursing.’ And I love it.” Eight years later, as an emergency room nurse and having earned a master’s of science in nursing degree from Brockton Hospital School of Nursing in Brockton, Massachusetts, Beaumier said she can’t imagine doing anything else: “I love the autonomy of working in an ER, the pace and the teamwork. I love working with my team at Trident Medical Center. The care I see provided every day to our patients makes me proud to be a nurse.” Beaumier said one of the main characteristics she’s seen in new nurses who are very successful and caring is, “They never stop asking questions. In health care, and especially in an ER, there is always something to learn.” T H E P U L S E O N CHARLESTON NURSES HILLARY SADLER, RNC-OB, MSN, IBCLC The catalyst for Hillary Sadler’s career came along with the birth of her first child. She said the whole experience of pregnancy and labor made her realize that a career in nursing, specifically labor and delivery, was for her: “For me, everything from pregnancy to babyhood and breast-feeding were some of the most joy-filled and equally challenging times in my life.” Sadler currently works at East Cooper Medical Center as a lactation consultant. “We are only able to teach parents the most important information they need in the 24 to 72 hours that we have with them in the hospital,” she said. Realizing a calling to do more for her patients and other new parents, Sadler started Baby Settler, a free educational platform on social media that seeks to educate and empower parents in all things related to birth, babies and breast-feeding. “There are a lot of voices out there, and sometimes the loudest voice isn’t the most helpful or accurate, evidence-based voice. I want parents to have the knowledge to feel confident to ask their provider questions and to be able to walk through babyhood with sugges - tions and advice that’s backed by evidence,” she concluded. HealthLinks Charleston wants to recognize nurses as the backbone of our medical community and thank them for all their efforts!