At Bethany Children’s Health Center, our employees truly are the heartbeat that drives the organization. Every day, through the care and service they provide, they live our mission of maximizing the potential of every child and exemplify our core values of compassion, integrity, excellence, service and stewardship.
We hope you enjoy getting to know our amazing employees through our Heartbeat profiles.
How Family Nurse Practitioner Nafeesah Thompson helps, communicates and educates
Nafeesah Thompson had a one-day clinical rotation at Bethany Children’s Health Center as a nursing student, but she still recalls the impression it made on her. “I remember seeing how nice and clean the hospital was. The patients were well-groomed, and all of the staff seemed happy,” she says. “There was teamwork everywhere. This is still true after all of these years.”
She was hired as a Nurse Tech in 2010 and continued her education to become an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN). She credits her inquisitive nature for driving her career, saying, “I had a lot of questions as a nurse. I wanted to know all the whats and whys. I also love to interact with other disciplines/specialists to learn how each person’s work contributes to the health of the patient. This role allows me to be more involved from that aspect.”
The busy mom of three always knew she’d do something that involved helping, communicating, and educating and says her role as APRN allows her to do all of that. She is inspired by the resiliency of the patients she serves, the growth of the hospital and her relationships with hospital staff. “I am humbled daily,” she says.
A lifelong learner, Nafeesah loves any type of personal enrichment that allows her to learn and recognizes that every day is a gift from God, with learning opportunities in every situation, whether good or bad. She values diversity and hopes that the contributions of Black culture will be genuinely appreciated by more people one day.
“Black History Month celebrates Black accomplishments and the work that is still being done. It also gives light to racism and all the struggles that come with that,” she says. “It’s so important to teach children that we are all God’s children. No one chooses their skin tone.”
FUN FACTS:
Hometown: Phoenix, Arizona. “I am a winter scrooge! I strongly dislike cold weather and miss Arizona’s sun and palm trees!”
Something people might not know: “I love glasses because my eyes water at the thought of putting in a contact. I have over 20 pairs – all prescription.”
First Job: Hardees (formerly Carl’s Junior) – “May I take your order?”
Favorite hobbies/ways to spend free time: “Spending time with God and my family. I love learning about other languages and cultures. I’m currently learning Spanish (slow process) and have also started learning Swahili.”
Favorite Sport/Team: “Any team my kids play for! I’m the one in the stands saying, ‘That’s my baby!’”
Favorite food: Mexican
Favorite inspirational saying: “When the heart is right, the mind and the body will follow”- Coretta Scott King
From the Bucket List: To travel more (when it’s warm of course!)