There’s no Dr. McDreamy or George Clooney roaming the halls. But otherwise, says Sonya Smith, life in the emergency room is fairly close to what television dramas portray.
“Well, it’s more like ‘ER’ than ‘Grey’s Anatomy,’ ” said Smith with a laugh. “We work well in chaos. And like anybody else who enjoys the ER, I’m an adrenalin junkie.”
At one time, the Jasper resident considered a career in accounting. But inspired by her mother, a geriatric licensed practical nurse, she headed to nursing school and was hooked.
“I went to work doing home health and loved it,” said Smith, 39. “I couldn’t believe they paid me money to do it.”
For the last 16 years, Smith has worked at Piedmont Mountainside Hospital in Jasper, where the ER has been her home.
“I like knowing a little bit about everything going on around me,” she said. “It’s always exciting and [it’s] a great place to learn.”
Occasionally, Smith puts her ER training to work outside the hospital. That’s how she met Ginger Choice, a participant in the Atlanta 2-Day Walk for Breast Cancer last fall. Smith was a medical crew volunteer and responded to a call that a walker was short of breath.
“I saw the 2-Day medical van approaching, and I thank God every day that Sonya Smith was on board,” Choice said. “She checked my vital signs, gave me something cool to drink and kept a watchful eye on me.”
When Choice winced from a sharp pain in her jaw, Smith gave her three aspirins and instructed the driver to rush to the event’s headquarters. A doctor called for an ambulance that whisked Smith and her patient to Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta.
Smith contacted Choice’s family, answered the ER doctor’s questions and stayed by her patient’s bedside until test results were delivered. Choice had suffered a heart attack.
“Sonya even retrieved my suitcase and delivered it to me,” Choice said. “We were both tearful when we said our goodbyes. But she called the hospital every day to check up on me, and later called me at home.”
For Smith, it was all part of being a nurse.
“I think God put us in each other’s paths for whatever reason,” Smith said. “I just feel very blessed to do what I love. I get so many rewards every day, and I get more back from patients than I could ever give them.”
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