From healing broken bones to caring for patients in their final hours,
HCA Healthcare’s extensive team of caregivers ensures that clinical needs are met across the continuum of care for patients. Meet a few colleagues who are making a difference in the lives of the patients they care for, bringing knowledge, experience and compassion to each one.

It was a personal experience that brought Kachiri Chamberlain, radiologic technologist at The Medical Center of Aurora, to the medical field. When her son was a little over a year old, he experienced his first seizure.

“There was a lot of medical jargon being used that I didn’t understand,” Kachiri says. “I felt helpless and said, ‘Never again.’”

She decided then and there that she wanted to educate herself and help others in similar situations. She started working at The Medical Center of Aurora in Aurora, Colorado, as a medical assistant and then went back to school to become a radiologic technologist after observing in that department.

HCA Healthcare fosters nationwide partnerships with educational institutions, including imaging tech training programs such as those at Concorde Career College and Community College of Denver, in Aurora and Denver, Colorado, respectively. They provide opportunities for students like Kachiri to complete clinical rotations in HCA Healthcare hospitals, ultimately creating a colleague pipeline.

“Working with these schools benefits all of us,” says Christelle Friedland, director of Imaging at The Medical Center of Aurora. “It not only provides a place for students to do clinical rotations and gain firsthand experience, but it also exposes them to the work environment and allows them to start building relationships with colleagues in the Imaging department.”

Since graduating from Concorde, Kachiri has made her mark in The Medical Center of Aurora’s Imaging department with her sunny disposition and the way she talks to patients.

“One of the most rewarding parts of my job is being able to explain a little bit of human anatomy to patients,” Kachiri says. “When they ask if they can see the images I’m taking, I’ll talk to them about what they’re seeing. It seems to make them more comfortable, and kids especially get excited to see what’s inside their body.”

HCA Healthcare’s addition of the home health and hospice service line allows colleagues like Irene Gurrola, hospice aide at Methodist Hospice and Family Care–Hill Country, to expand their skills and explore other areas of patient care.

Irene joined Methodist Hill Country in Fredericksburg, Texas, after spending more than 30 years working in nursing homes as a certified nursing assistant (CNA). She was drawn to hospice care after seeing the impact it had on one of her patients in the nursing home.

“The hospice care team was there for things like helping them do their nails or taking them outside to feel the sun on their face,” Irene says.

Now, as a hospice aide, she can provide the same one-on-one patient care she witnessed. Working in the hospice setting allows Irene time to get to know her patients and their families and to provide the care and support needed when daily activities can be challenging. While Irene’s work includes several older patients, she also discovered that she has a knack for working with pediatric patients. When she encounters parents who are stressed and overwhelmed, her skill and knowledge ease their minds. She is able to show them how to balance their own needs with their child’s care.

Marsha Adkins joined Medical City Hospice and Family Care in Arlington, Texas, two years ago, after an almost 25-year career in hospice care elsewhere.

“I had thought to myself it was time for a change, and maybe I would go work in a hospital setting to try something new,” Marsha says. “But when I put in my application at Medical City and saw they had hospice care there, my heart was drawn back to that field.”

Marsha discovered her calling in her first role as a CNA. While working at a nursing home, she cared for a double-amputee patient who complained that her legs hurt. Though she was new and less inexperienced, Marsha instinctively wanted to ease the patient’s discomfort.

“A nurse explained that what the patient was experiencing was phantom pain. She said I would be great working at hospice and encouraged me to apply for a job at a hospice provider in our region.”

Over the years, Marsha gained valuable experience and learned much more about hospice care. But it’s her ability to connect with patients that really makes the difference in her work.

“The best part of my day is when I walk into the room and I smile, and they smile back at me,” she says. “That’s the most satisfying thing, to know they’re happy to see me, without saying a word.”

That unspoken communication goes a long way in comforting patients. Marsha tells the story of one patient with whom she immediately bonded, a retired nurse who appreciated her talent and spirit.

“Whenever I would leave, I would say, ‘I’ll see you tomorrow, God willing,’ and she would answer, ‘If the creek don’t rise,” Marsha recalls.

Eventually the patient was unable to speak, so Marsha would repeat their entire farewell routine for her each time, even to the day Maria knew the patient was at the end of her life. Bonding with her patients and building trusted relationships is as joyful as it can be difficult in hospice care.