Ever wonder how important it is to return a phone call as soon as possible?  Just ask Ann St. Clair, BSN, RN, CAPA.

“I was working at Good Samaritan Home as a nurses’ aide and they did not have any positions available for an LPN. So, I applied at St. Mary Hospital and at Blessing. I said whoever calls me, that’s where I will work.”

Blessing won.

“I wouldn’t go anyplace else.”

On March 12, 2023, Ann celebrated her 50th anniversary at Blessing Hospital.

“When I was in junior high I said, ‘I want to be a nurse,’ and that’s what I went after. I wanted to be a nurse and take care of people. That’s what I have done.”

Born in Mount Pleasant, Iowa, and raised in Quincy, Ann spent her first 11 years at Blessing Hospital as an LPN, becoming a RN in 1984. She graduated from the Quincy School of Practical Nursing, Blessing Hospital School of Nursing and earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from Quincy University in 1989. Since 2013, Ann has held Certified Ambulatory Perianesthesia Nurse (CAPA) status.

She worked on a med-surg unit for 27 years, transferred to the recovery room for the next 10 years and for the last 13 years she has been a member of the One Day Surgery team.

If that is not enough, in her spare time, Ann sews teddy bears and pillows for families of hospice patients, and crochets blankets for Blessed Beginnings families.

Changes through the years

Ann has seen many advancements in technology since 1973, siting one in particular.

“Computers. That’s the biggest one. We’ve had lots of changes in the way we do things, but you still take care of patients the same way.”

Have computers helped nurses in the delivery of healthcare?

“Sometimes I think yes. Sometimes I think no, especially when they don’t work right.”

Ann has also seen many patients, with one still fresh in her memory.

“Many years ago we had a patient – a young man - with a disease that was really rare. It got so he could not talk to us. But he would go like this,” Ann said as she held one of her hands up in the American Sign Language sign for “I love you.”

While the pandemic led to burnout and career change for some in the healthcare field, not for Ann.

“During that time, I could have retired and there were many people that did. I didn’t have to stay. But I like my job.”

She also enjoys taking care of people she knowns. And at 70 years old, she knows a lot of people.

“They love it because they know you. You are someone they can connect with.  I don’t hesitate to take care of people I know.”

As for the future….

Ann is personally responsible for at least three people getting into healthcare. Following in her footsteps after Ann joined the Blessing staff, were her mother (nurses aide) and two sisters (RNs) who worked either a portion or their entire career at Blessing Hospital.

 “I am always glad to see students and for them to follow me around. I also precept nurses and show them how it’s done.”

Ann believe that a key characteristic of a exceptional nurse is to be a teacher.

“You have to teach people how to take care of themselves, how to be well.”

Feeling the years have flown by, Ann is not tipping her hand about retirement.

“My husband’s a farmer. This keeps me busy and I enjoy it. So, if you enjoy it, why not do it?”