Ashley Thrasher has found her calling as a registered nurse in the neonatal intensive care unit at Piedmont Athens Regional Medical Center. To the children, she’s a loving and devoted caregiver. To the parents and other family members, she’s a shoulder to cry on and a rock in their darkest hours, her manager said. Last year, she cared for a newborn baby boy with severe Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy. His prognosis was grim from the outset. She knew the baby would not live to Halloween or Christmas, but Ashley still planned two surprise holiday celebrations. And she gave the baby boy’s family members photos and happy memories to help them through the tough days to come. “She embodies the spirit of nursing,” her manager Lindsay Hyde, RN, clinical manager in Piedmont Athens Regional’s neonatal intensive care unit, said.
Read more about this remarkable woman.
Ashley Thrasher
Age: 30
Employer: Piedmont Athens Regional Medical Center, working as a nurse in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)
Length of employment: Three years at Piedmont Athens Regional, and previously a NICU nurse in Arkansas
Years in nursing: six
Education: Received Bachelor of Science in nursing from Arkansas Tech University in 2011
Family: Married to husband Keith, with a newborn, Emmalynn
I got into nursing because: “I wanted to make a difference in people’s lives.”
Best part of my job is: “Handing a preemie baby to his or her mother for the first time.”
The most challenging part of the job is: “Losing a patient.”
My method for handling stress: “I pray A LOT and use hobbies to de-stress.”
What do you do for fun outside of work? Photography, fishing, reading and shopping
What’s a piece of advice you would give to a new nurse? “The good days outweigh the bad. Focus on the good days and the great experiences.”
Describe one of your most meaningful days as a nurse: “That is a really hard question. I believe every day is meaningful. The moment that each day no longer becomes meaningful is when something is wrong with my care and compassion as a nurse.”
