Western Baptist nurse retires after 50 years at hospital

Licensed practical nurse Shirley Grant saw a lot of change in the half-century she worked at Western Baptist Hospital, but her passion for the job never changed.

“It’s very rewarding because you’re helping others,” said Grant, 71, of Paducah. “If you treat your patient like you would want your family treated, then you don’t have a problem.”

Grant began working at Western Baptist as a 21-year-old nurse’s aide in 1960, seven years after the hospital opened its doors. She retired last week.

“They had a big shortage of nurses back then, so they paid the aides’ salaries to go to nursing school,” she said. “All you had to do was work at the hospital for two years.”

Grant stayed far longer than the required time after she got her degree. She was named Western Baptist’s Nurse of the Month in 1988, the Nurse of the Year in 1996 and the Florence Nightingale Outstanding Nurse in Kentucky in 2005.

Human resources director Don Brown said Grant is the first employee to work 50 years at the hospital.

“Her accomplishment speaks volumes about her dedication and loyalty to her patients and to the hospital,” Brown said. “It is even more significant in a time when employees entering the workforce are likely to change jobs seven to 10 times in their lifetime.”

Grant has worked on the pulmonary/telemetry floor for the past 37 years. Tracy Phillips, R.N., is the unit’s director.

“Shirley exemplifies commitment to her patients, co-workers and Western Baptist Hospital,” Phillips said. “She has always been willing to help in any way she is able. As new technologies have been introduced to nursing, she has grasped the changes and worked hard to perfect her skills. She is loved and appreciated by all of us. We all admire her perseverance and have learned a lot from her.”

Grant has seen not only technological advancements, but also growth of the hospital campus.

“It had 119 beds when I came to work,” she said. “Now it has 333 beds. I’ve been here through every phase of building. When they built the fourth floor, we thought it was so big.”

There are now six floors, plus the Baptist Heart Center and three physician office buildings.

Grant’s late husband, Harold, was the hospital’s laundry manager until he died in 1987.

“After my husband died, I made up my mind I was going to work 50 years,” she said. “When you work all your life, you can’t wait until you retire, but when you get there, it’s a different ballgame altogether.”

A 50-year celebration for Grant is set for 4 to 7 p.m. Monday, May 3, in the Baptist Heart Center auditorium. The public is invited