HealthLinks Magazine May/June 2018

96 | www.CharlestonPhysicians.com | www.HealthLinksCharleston.com ELIZABETH D. HARMON DNP, APRN, FNP-BC It was quite an accomplishment for Dr. Elizabeth Harmon to earn her degree in nursing. “It was controversial in the mid-1970s to pursue a nursing degree, but I owe that encouragement to my Aunt Peggy, who guided me,” she said. She was a first-generation college grad- uate in her family. “That was a huge accomplishment for a girl from a blue-collar west- ern Pennsylvania mill town,” she said. Over the last 40 years, Dr. Harmon has worked in general duty, cardiology, surgical intensive care, supervisory positions and primary care. While studying to become an advanced practice RN, with a family nurse practitioner certification, she received the Rural Health Fellowship. “These were my people,” she commented. “I understood the challenges of maintaining good health care combined with financial struggles.” Dr. Harmon still practices in the clinical setting up to 12 hours a week and is on the Medical University of South Carolina College of Nursing faculty. “I have the best of both worlds. I have the opportunity to teach nurses and yet still get to care for patients in their daily lives,” she said. “Nursing is a profession and a calling. The impact that you will have on others is unquantifiable; you will be better for it,” she concluded. SHANNON WIDING RN Shannon Widing, a nurse with Charles- ton Allergy & Asthma, has a varied back- ground in the field, which eventually led her to allergy and asthma care. “I actually decided I wanted to be a nurse after watching St. Jude programs on Sunday mornings as a teenager. My heart ached for those families, and I knew I want- ed to make a difference in people’s lives,” she said. Her first job in nursing was in the mental health arena. From there she went on to work in an emergency room and hospice and “loved it all.” She liked trying new aspects in the field of nursing, so she decid- ed to take a job with Charleston Allergy & Asthma when her family moved to Charleston in 2012. “I love working in the allergy and asthma realm because daily we are improving our patients’ quality of life,” she said. “I am lucky to be a part of that.” She encouraged aspiring nurses to keep at it. “Work hard and get your degree,” she said. “The opportunities are endless.” ANGELA Y. STANLEY DNP, MA, APRN-BC, PHCNS-BC, NEA-BC Dr. Angela Stanley can trace her de- sire to become a nurse to her family. At a very young age, a mere 3 months old, Dr. Stanley’s mother became a paraplegic after being shot during a racially motivated crime. She said her father stepped up and, as a Marine Corps officer, really took charge throughout her childhood. That experience, along with her grandmother and other close family friends who were also nurses, led her to pursue nursing when she entered college at Clemson University. She specialized in maternal-child nursing but had a deep desire to teach. She saw a need to educate patients, families, nurses and clinical support staff in the mother and child nursing arena. “I saw people who thought childbirth was just a normal pro- cess of life and that there wasn’t a real need to educate,” she said. “I decided to dedicate my career to helping people learn more about the process.” Education has definitely become an important aspect of Dr. Stanley’s nursing career. “I believe that nursing is a profession of lifelong learning,” she commented. “Appreciate and learn from every opportunity.” T H E P U L S E O N CHARLESTON NURSES We have partnered with the MEDICAL UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA COLLEGE OF NURSING to highlight some of the Lowcountry’s top nurses. HealthLinks Charleston wants to recognize nurses as the backbone of our medical community and thank them for all their efforts! PATRICIA HART DNP, RN, CPN, NE-BC Dr. Patti Hart, associate chief nursing officer at the Medical University of South Carolina, always knew she wanted to work with children. “I actually considered a career as a teacher,” she said. “But my parents steered me toward health care.” She was hooked after just one day shadowing in a newborn nursery and in pediatrics. “Most of my career has been in pediatrics and women’s health,” she explained. In fact, for 25 of the 29 years she practiced in Hershey, Pennsyl- vania, before moving to the Charleston area in 2016, she worked in pediatrics. “I worked as the executive sponsor when we were building a new children’s hospital, and I was the director of nursing for women’s and children’s services at the Penn State Hershey Medical Center,” she pointed out. “Nursing is one of the best professions you could ever choose. You are there to comfort people during their worst times and cele- brate wonderful news. We are honored to be given the responsibil- ity to care for very complex conditions while supporting the emo- tional and spiritual aspects of their care as well. Having a license in nursing opens up so many opportunities and allows you to work in a career that tailors to your life,” she concluded.