122 Years of Service
(This article will be the first of three installments highlighting long-time employees at West River Health Services, totaling more than 122 years of service.)
Submitted by Frank Turner, Adams County Record in Hettinger. acrnews@gspublishing.net
After 43 years of work at West River Health Services (WRHS), Barbara West, RN, CDE, and WRHS Diabetes Education Coordinator, will be retiring and transitioning to supplementary work at the hospital. As the education coordinator, West helped trained staff at WRHS through coordinated staff education classes in a wide range of disciplines beyond just diabetes.
“I was in charge of the orientation for all the new nurses who came in,” said West. “And I taught all of the classes for people learning to work in the hospital’s ICU unit, so I taught heart rhythm classes and how to work with all the different equipment and procedures we do in a critical care unit.”
As a Diabetes Education Coordinator, West helped educate diabetes patients about self-care and management with a team of other educators.
“We teach people with diabetes how to care about themselves,” said West. “I focus on a number of health questions, like how to test blood sugars, what are your medications and how do they work, the importance of activity - all these pieces of treating diabetes.”
While West will no longer work as the Diabetes Education Coordinator at WRHS, the program will still continue with Tricia (Wilken) Herman, RN, BSN as the new coordinator.
“It’s not that the program is going away, we’ve got someone who I’m training in and has prior experience in diabetes so it will be a really smooth transition,” West explained.
West started her path in healthcare over 48 years ago in 1973 after graduating from nursing school in Fargo. Following her graduation, West began working as a nurse in her hometown of Hillsboro, North Dakota, and later transitioned to the Fargo hospital, today known as the Sanford Medical Center, to work in the heart unit. It wasn’t until 1978, after West married, that she and her husband moved to Hettinger to join the Hettinger hospital as Head Nurse. Once she arrived in Hettinger, West said she was here to stay.
“I was so excited about working at West River back in the 70’s,” she said. “Dr. Jerry Sailer was a physician here that really built up the medical system, so there were articles about the West River’s hospital in the Fargo papers when I was living there. So, I was really excited to be a part of such a good hospital.”
Eventually, West’s nursing career made a natural transition to include staff education coordination in 2001, adding education to her nursing duties.
“I have loved nursing and it was the best choice for me,” said West. “Truly the switch to floor nursing to staff education was because there was an opening for that position and I had already been teaching all the ICU classes… It just seemed like a really natural fit.”
Growing up, West said her dream was to work in education as a teacher. After transitioning to staff education, West said she was able to finally meet that goal
“With the education, both for staff and for diabetes, it was like I got to be a teacher after all,” she said.
Looking forward, West said she is excited to continue her supplemental work at the hospital.
“I love to help out when there is a need,” she said. “After 43 years, it’s hard to cut those ties totally.”
“West River Health Services has been a wonderful place to work, everyone that works here really works hard to take care of our community,” she added.
Tricia Herman steps into new role
As Herman steps into the role of Diabetes Educator, she will be looking to get her certification and continue the diabetes education program at West River Health Services. Once she passes her certification in diabetes education, she will be taking over the exact role that Barbara West has held for over 20 years as well as continuing her work as a registered nurse.
Herman said her own experience with diabetes was one of the reasons that prompted her to take on the new position.
“I am a Type 1 diabetic, so I have quite a bit of experience with my diabetes and I use a lot of the technology, so that will be beneficial when teaching others,” said Herman. “My experience and what I’ve learned could help somebody else achieve their goals.”
Herman has been with West River Health Services for over two years as a Registered Nurse and Diabetes Specialist Nurse. Herman graduated from SDSU’s nursing school in Aberdeen in 2018. After graduating, Herman and her husband moved the Hettinger-Lodgepole area and she started work at West River Health Services.
Herman said both her past experience and time in the community will facilitate a smooth transition to her new role in diabetes education.
“To be from the area and to then know your patients on another level than just their illnesses is a comfort to not only me, but to them,” she said. “To know each other outside of this unfortunate situation that brings them to the hospital can add a little bit of confidence in the care - that’s one thing that’s a blessing, working at West River Health Services, just working in your own community.”