Today we’d like to introduce you to Kathryn Williams.
Hi Kathryn, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I was born and raised in Alexandria, LA. My father, William H. Wooding was employed in the air force and my mom, Catherine E. Sparks Wooding, was a stay at home mom until my parents separated. My mom was then forced to work as a maid for several years to help make ends meet. She eventually found a job working at a local restaurant where she worked for over 20 plus years. For many years we lived with my grandmother, Olivia Sparks in her three room house. It was my grandmother, my mom and five children, all cramped into that small place. But it was during those years that my grandmother and mom pushed us to want more out of life. They felt that getting a degree in “something” was the way to go. My desire to be a nurse initiated from watching many episodes of Perry Mason. Every time I saw a nurses in a starched, white uniform and perfectly polished shoes with the white hats on her heads, I knew that was what I wanted to do. However, although I had no idea what the job responsibilities would be, I just knew that they looked important. So after high school, I went to college so that I could become a “registered nurse.” However, my idea of a registered nurse was to sit behind a desk and register patients as they came to the hospital. I probably should be embarrassed by this, but this is actually how I made my decision to go to nursing school. Once I got to Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, LA and started taking nursing courses, I realized that this was more than registering patients into the hospital, this was actually training for patient care. So because I could not afford to waste any time with starting over, I decided to continue in nursing. Today I can say that this has been one of the most important decisions of my life. I started my nursing career working as a Neonatal nurse. After a few years, I was transferred to working in Surgical and Medical ICU due to staffing issues. Because I was a new ICU nurse, by default, I was forced to take care of peritoneal dialysis patients. Since I knew that I would be given the peritoneal dialysis patients whenever they were admitted to ICU, I begin to learn all that I could. I got so good with it that the physician, a local nephrologist in Shreveport asked me to come work at his clinic. So for the next ten years I worked for him until I was recruited to work for Baxter Healthcare. I worked for them for twenty-seven years. During my tenure there, I won six trips, was a runner up for the trips multiple times, was requested to speak at major conferences in the US and abroad and won multiple awards for my performance.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It definitely was not a smooth road. I was able to go to college because of academic scholarships, some military support because of my father’s disability and local support for a local store owner in Alexandria. Tony , who owned the local grocery store would loan my mother money for me each semester to fill in the gaps. I also had to repeat reading and math test before I was admitted into clinical. Once I graduated from college, I failed my nursing exam by less than 10 points and had to retake it the following year. So for about a year, I had to work as an RN assistant instead of an RN. My pay was cut significantly, my title was changed and also my responsibilities were limited even though I had a BSN RN degree. It was a very humbling experience. But by the grace of God, I passed my exam with flying colors the second go round.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Before I retired, I was a Clinical Specialist Executive This was the highest level of achievement that I could reach as a Clinical Specialist. I specialized in peritoneal dialysis training for nephrologists, patients, nurses and fellows. As a Clinical Specialist Executive I was known for my teaching abilities. I have spoken in Trinidad, in Canada multiple times, at the Annual Dialysis Conference for many years. I spoke at various National nurse training symposium around the US. I participated in a by invitation only leadership program. I helped to develop several teaching presentations. I developed a peritoneal dialysis training doll for hands on demonstration and training which helped care givers develop their skill sets for taking care of their significant other or other patients. What I am most proud of s being able to fulfill my mother and grandmother’s dream of “making something out of my self.” When ever my mom would see me either going to a training meeting or returning from one, or find out that I was requested to speak abroad, she would light up. You could see it on her face and hear it in her voice that she was so proud of me.
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
I would have to say that it’s my ability to communicate and reach audiences of all educational levels and backgrounds; from patients and caregivers with no medical background to physicians and nurses that are trained in nephrology . clearly. One of my strongest assess is my ability to listen to what my clients are saying. This enhances my ability to prevent misunderstandings. Being able to communicate effectively helps to strengthen my relationship with my customers and make it easier for them to approach me when something needs to be clarified or when they want to collaborate.
