By Michael Miller
As a mother of three girls, Hyacintha Gordon knows it takes dedication, love, patience and a positive attitude to be a parent. Over the course of her two years on the staff at Beaufort Memorial, she has learned the same qualities are essential to success in her work life, too.
Gordon started at Beaufort Memorial in August 2021 as a housekeeper on the environmental services team. In this position, she had the opportunity to work in different parts of the hospital, including the emergency room. Seeing patient treatment up close in the ER piqued her interest in taking a more direct role in caring for patients.
“I love people, that’s first and foremost,” she says. “You’ve got to love people when you’re caring for people.”
Gordon began exploring her options to move into patient care and learned about the hospital’s PATH (People Achieving Their Highest) program. Structured to allow staff to continue working in their current role while participating, the program includes traditional education, clinical training, scholarships, and other financial assistance to encourage and incentivize individuals to advance their careers through a variety of different certification or degree programs.
Since Gordon wanted to work in direct patient care, she chose to pursue training to become a certified patient care technician (or PCT). Managing her education and job responsibilities while caring for three children was challenging, but she says she found all the support she needed from her instructors and trainers, who made her even more eager to start her new role as a PCT.
“I started doing clinicals, and when I was helping patients, I felt joy,” she said. “I was like, ‘Oh, my goodness. I absolutely love this.’”
Gordon now works in the Beaufort Memorial medical/surgical unit, where she and the rest of the 5T staff care for patients with a wide variety of diagnosis and illnesses, with a focus on oncology and end-of-life care. It’s a perfect fit for her natural talents and newly learned skills — and her calm demeanor is gaining positive attention from patients and peers alike.
“When I care for my patients, I treat them like family,” she says. “I show them it’s OK to trust somebody to care for them, to put their walls down. I tell them, as long as I’m caring for you, you’re going to get the VIP treatment.”
Gordon is thrilled she’s found a career path she loves, but she isn’t done yet. She plans to continue her education by enrolling in a nursing program in the near future. Once a shy child and young adult who struggled to find her place, she’s excited and proud to be a role model for her daughters and others, including those just starting out in their careers.
“Beaufort Memorial is a good place to work because you have the opportunity to grow,” said Gordon. “You can come in as a housekeeper, and if that’s not your goal, you have an opportunity to pursue other things. I got a huge amount of support from my PATH instructors. Now I’m a support person, too. If anybody needs help, I’m on the fifth floor. Come find me.”
BMH offering walk-in interviews for hospitality jobs
Looking for a new job where you can make a difference? Consider joining the hospitality team at Beaufort Memorial Hospital.
The hospital will be holding walk-in interviews Thursday, Feb. 22 from 9 to 1 a.m. and again from 4 to 6 p.m. for various food service and housekeeping positions, including cooks, servers, dishwashers, housekeepers, custodians and more. No appointment is necessary.
Full and part time, day and evening shifts are available. BMH offers competitive pay, a sign-on bonus, and excellent benefits, including discounted child care, as well as opportunities for career growth. Visit BeaufortMemorial.org/HospitalityInterviews or text 843-929-8885 for more information.
