Vicki Parker has a 3,200-acre office that includes an 825-foot granite mountain, a huge carving and two golf courses. Parker’s workplace is certainly not typical; she’s the health advocate nurse at Stone Mountain Park.
Her patients are the park’s employees, which number 300 to 500 during the winter and can swell to 1,500 in the summer.
“When I went to nursing school 35 years ago, I never thought that I would be the nurse at Georgia’s No. 1 attraction,” said Parker, RN, FCN. “When I drive through the entrance gate every day, I’m awe-inspired. I think my blood pressure drops 20 points.”
Parker, who graduated from the now-closed Grady Memorial Hospital School of Nursing in 1974, is a veteran of 33 years of nursing. She has worked at DeKalb Medical, Emory Eastside Medical Center and Gwinnett Medical Center in labor and delivery, medical/surgical nursing and the operating room.
Two years ago, when Parker was training to become a faith community nurse through Gwinnett Medical Center’s congregational health ministry program, she heard about the job at Stone Mountain Park.
Herschend Family Entertainment, which runs the park, had never hired a nurse before, said Marti Hawkins, public relations coordinator. “We’ve since seen a huge benefit from investing in the health care of our employees in this way,” she said.
When Parker started the job in 2009, she had no manual to follow. Fortunately, she’s equipped with strong organizational abilities.
“I took a survey of what employees needed and wanted and developed a plan from there,” she said.
Several roles
Parker sees her mission as threefold. She provides health education and wellness programs that include information about nutrition, exercise and smoking cessation. She serves as the bridge for employees to reach community doctors and other health care resources when they have health issues. She also is a health counselor who listens, encourages and helps employees stay healthier.
“I have an office where I can check blood pressures and see employees if they come to see me, but most don’t, so I go to them,” Parker said.
“Nurse Vicki,” as she’s called by employees, tries to visit each park attraction every week to check on workers. She also responds to specific requests made by supervisors or employees.
Armed with a cell phone and wearing a park uniform and white jacket, Parker logs more than 10,000 steps on her pedometer every day.
“I’ve lost 25 pounds since I’ve been here, but I love being outside and this park is beautiful in every season,” Parker said. “When people come to enjoy the park after it snows, I’m out there with them in my layers, jacket, hat and gloves. On sunny days like this, with the temperature in the 50s and 60s, I’m doing a little happy dance.”
Making her mark
Parker thought it would take about six months before employees became aware of her services, but a couple of incidents early in her tenure changed that notion. One employee wasn’t feeling well, so his secretary called Parker. She discovered that he had an irregular heart beat, so she sent him to the hospital, where he had heart surgery within 24 hours.
“He very graciously credits me with saving his life,” Parker said. “He said that if there hadn’t been a nurse at work, he probably would have just gone home and had a heart attack there alone.”
Another potential health disaster was averted when Parker diagnosed an employee with prestroke symptoms and sent her to a doctor. She was immediately sent to the hospital, where she stayed for five days.
“She had had a mini-stroke, but they told her it would have been a full-blown stroke if left untreated,” Parker said.
Park police and fire department paramedics handle guest emergencies, so most days at work aren’t so dramatic. Nurse Vicki helps employees handle the effects of cancer treatment, pregnancy, miscarriages and high blood pressure. Leading by example, she participates in walking groups and nutrition programs.
“I’m now known as the go-to person for health, and if someone asks me something I don’t know, I have back-up in the other 17 nurses in Gwinnett’s Congregational Health Ministries program,” she said. “I’ll send out an e-mail and usually get an answer or a helpful resource within a couple of hours.”
Parker never tires of working in what she calls “the best office in the world,” but the best part of the job has been getting to know and help the park’s staff.
“I get to work side-by-side with people when they make a decision for better health and I have the privilege of seeing how it changes their lives, and sometimes their family’s lives. That’s very rewarding,” she said.
No health problem or issue is off-limits. Employees know they can ask Parker about physical, emotional or spiritual problems.
“If they walked into a doctor’s office, they’d be much more anxious,” Hawkins said. “Nurse Vicki has made it easy for them to incorporate health care into their normal working environment. Seeing that others derive benefits from their visits with her gives more employees the courage to seek her advice about health issues.”
Parker is pleased that Herschend Family Entertainment has decided to employ a nurse at Wild Adventures Theme Park in Valdosta.
“I’m looking forward to getting to share what I’ve learned with that person,” she said. “I never dreamed that there would be opportunities like this when I went into nursing. I think I appreciate it more, because I worked in traditional roles for so many years. I remind myself to tell my boss every day how much I love this job.”
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