Spotlight on Candler Hospital med-surg nurse Sarah Brooks

Sarah Brooks, BSN, RN
Candler Hospital 6North/med-surg

Graduated from College of Coastal Georgia in Brunswick

SJ/C: Why did you decide to become a nurse?

Sarah: I was helping my mother who was battling triple negative breast cancer. She was actually a patient on the sixth floor at Candler Hospital. She had begun to decline, and it got to the point where she couldn’t speak. Before she had lost that ability completely, I told my mom, ‘I am going to go back and finish what you started.’ She was an LPN. She was like, ‘OK,’ and that was one of the last things she could tell me.

I did go the CNA route for a little bit, and I lasted a month. It wasn’t the role of the CNA or about the money, but it was about being able to do so much more. So I became a patient care technician so I could learn as much as possible and then went on to nursing school.

SJ/C: Why did you choose St. Joseph’s/Candler?

Sarah: My mom was a patient here around the time COVID was really starting to get rampant. I was having issues getting inside the building, finding something to eat, things like that. Everyone was so helpful. I had a long list of everybody who worked here who helped me during that time. They made sure I got fed, had access to my mom and helped me with her. Everybody on 6South, and I mean everybody, helped me with her. I didn’t have to beg them to help me change her, clean her up. There was never a disgruntled attitude. That’s why I am here. You guys helped me take care of my mother. It was supposed to be a very hard time, but being here, it wasn’t. You talk about an interesting turn of events. Here it is, four years later, and I’m here.

I also ended up doing my last semester of nursing school here. Everyone was, for one, so friendly, but then also everybody was interested in training me the right way. I never felt like a bother to them. The whole floor was like that. Then I realized, it’s not just the whole floor, but everyone at this hospital, and not just this hospital, but St. Joseph’s too. They are why I am here.

SJ/C: What are some of your responsibilities as a nurse on 6North at Candler Hospital?

Sarah: We are med-surg, so it’s literally a little bit of everything. That’s why I wanted to do this because I didn’t want to get stuck into a specialty. I wanted to get my foot in the door and have a broad foundation. Here, there are stroke patients, a lot of GI, a lot of neuro. I appreciate it because I’m going to learn a lot. There’s never a time when I’m not learning something, and there’s never a time when they are not willing to teach me. I could close my eyes and point to anybody, and they are genuinely there to help me and help patients. We have amazing unit clerks, managers, everybody is awesome. It really is family.

SJ/C: What do you love about your job?

Sarah: Every time I step into that patient’s room, they are literally my mother all over again that I’m caring for. There was this one gentleman in particular that was going in and out of dementia and got lucid on me for a second. He said, ‘Why do you keep calling  me papa?’ I said, ‘Because you’re like a granddaddy to me. Does it bother you, and you want me to stop?’ He said, ‘No. You can call me papa.’ This is genuinely the way to be a difference. That’s what I’m here for. Of course, the co-workers make a huge difference too but I get to take care of your mother, your granddaddy, your uncle. I get to really know people. At the end of my shifts, I always thank people for letting me take care of them. They look at me like, ‘What?’ But it truly is an honor. I love giving back to people because, why not.

SJ/C: What advice would you say to those considering a career in nursing?

Sarah: You’ll never know that you can do it, until you do it. I hang onto that because that’s what my CNA instructor told me. He saw my potential, and said, ‘You never know if you can do it, until you do it.’ The biggest thing is to keep pushing forward. Put your absolute all in it and remain positive, don’t doubt yourself and be confident in the Lord’s abilities, not just your own.

Family: Kids: David, Taylor, Ethan, Gabriella & Harmony; my aunts, Alice & Serena; and my sister, Amanda. I have a massive support system of so many others.
Hobbies/Interests: I like to cook, go to the pool, be outside with the kids or really anything I can do with my kids is my hobby.