Lorie Stinson’s connection with The Medical Center at Franklin goes beyond the fact that she works there as a registered nurse.
“I was born in this hospital. It’s in the community I grew up in,” she said. “I know a lot of the (patients). A lot of the (patients) know me.”
The Franklin native was recently named the hospital’s Nurse of the Year. The winner is chosen by the entire hospital staff.
“I was excited, happy and proud,” she said of how she felt when she found out she had been chosen.
Stinson doesn’t remember ever wanting to be anything except a nurse. In fact, she chose a career in nursing many years before she was old enough to pursue it.
“My mom said ever since I was a little girl that I wanted to be a nurse,” she said.
While a student at Western Kentucky University, Stinson worked as a certified nursing assistant and unit clerk at The Medical Center at Franklin. She received a scholarship from the hospital, which helped her pay for her last semester in school. She earned an associate’s degree and began working as a nurse at the hospital in June 1999.
Stinson works primarily in the emergency room, where she takes care of patients.
“I do lots of shots and IVs,” she said. “When the (technicians) are busy, we clean our own rooms after patients are discharged.”
Although retirement is still in the distant future, Stinson has been considering her options and doesn’t believe she will leave the nursing field for good.
“I hope to retire early,” she said. “I may want to switch to (per diem nursing). I may want to be a flight nurse.”
Caring for people and variety of patients are her favorite aspects of nursing, Stinson said.
“I like the excitement of never knowing what’s going to walk through that door. There’s always something different,” she said. “I’m never bored. I don’t feel like I’m tied to the same routine. I’m always learning new stuff.”
