Melody Akins gravitated to nursing after her father-in-law was hospitalized for treatment of prostate cancer. And she continues to draw on her personal experiences as a nurse in the Mother-Baby Unit at Piedmont Athens Regional Medical Center.
Her manager Kelly Roach said Melody is the type of nurse you want to take care of you and your newborn baby. She’s known the heartbreak of losing a child and was there last year for a family of a baby born with anomalies that were incompatible with life.
The Mom and Dad wanted to experience every possible moment with their son and opted to keep him in the Mother-Baby Unit, rather than sending him to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). When it came time to take the boy home for hospice, Melody went above and beyond – spending several nights at the family’s home so his parents could sleep.
“She took time away from her family to offer comfort to a family who was in desperate need,” Kelly said. “Melody’s kindness and ability to offer comfort during such an emotional and stressful time is something truly special. “
Here’s more about Melody Akins.
Age: 38
Employer: Piedmont Athens Regional Medical Center
Job: Staff RN, Family Care Center or Mother-Baby Unit
Education: “I received my associate’s degree in business from Gainesville College in 1999. I transferred to the University of Georgia, where I planned to pursue a business degree, but in my fourth year of college, my father-in-law was diagnosed with prostate cancer. When he was hospitalized at Piedmont Athens Regional, I started thinking that I really was interested in the career of nursing. I wasn’t sure about my decision to pursue a business degree and knew that I wanted a profession that involved caring for my local community. At the time, Belinda James was the director of the hospital’s urology floor. She came in one day to check on my father-in-law, and we started talking about the nursing profession. I went on to tell her how discouraging it was to think about starting over with school. She quickly told me that both a business degree and nursing degree would give me more opportunities in my career if I decided to leave bedside nursing. I was so excited to finally figure out what I wanted to do with my life. I remember I even sent her flowers, thanking her for inspiring me to go for a career in nursing – a decision I’ve never regretted! So I started the nursing program at Athens Technical College and graduated in 2002.
Family: Married Brent Akins in December 2000 and has three children: Eli (13), Emma (11) and Blake (9).
I got into nursing because … “I have a big heart that’s full of compassion. I knew I wanted to do something in life that involved caring for people. When I saw the way that nurses took care of my father-in-law, I knew that the nursing profession was something I wanted to be a part of.”
The best part of my job is … “taking care of families who have just had a new baby. It is such a precious moment in their lives, and I get to be a part of it! I love seeing how the parents love this new little one, and it’s so exciting so see siblings come in to meet their new little brother or sister!”
The most challenging part of my job is … “taking care of those parents that have had complications and aren’t getting to take their baby home. I have personally experienced this, and it is heartbreaking. However, going through this situation, I feel I’m better able to take care of my patients.”
How do you handle stress? “The best way I handle stress is with exercise. The bigger challenge is finding the time to do it!”
What do you do for fun outside of work? “For fun, I love hanging out with my family. My boys play football and baseball and my daughter cheers, so we always have fun at their sporting events.”
What’s a piece of advice you’d give to a new nurse? “I would have to say that one of the most important things is to give your best to every patient you come in contact with. Regardless of their race, if they are rich or poor, their background…they are all deserving of compassion and top-quality care.”
Describe one of your most meaningful days as a nurse: “One of my most meaningful days on the Mother-Baby Unit was when I took care of a patient who was in a bad family situation and had little family support. We had a long conversation about what was going on in her life, and we talked about a plan to help to get her back on track. I’d been caring for her for several days, and she’d shown no emotion the entire time. After our conversation, she cried and told me how thankful she was that I had taken the time to talk to her. I don’t know her outcome, but it meant a lot to me to see her smile and know that she was truly thankful that someone took time to listen to her and to give her positive encouragement when there was so much negativity in her life.”
