BECKLEY, W.Va. – Alex Burgess always had an interest in the medical field, but it wasn’t until experiencing the kindness of a nurse, first-hand, that she knew where her future lay.

“My grandma was admitted into the hospital in 2020, during Covid,” she said. “So, of course we weren’t allowed to be with her, but she had amazing nurses who would call all the time with updates. They would Facetime me on their personal phones so I could see her.

“It was truly amazing and I’m thankful for all they did.”

Though Burgess was only 19 at the time, she served as her grandmother’s medical power of attorney, tasked with making decisions – including the difficult choice to bring her home into Hospice care a few months later.

“I didn’t understand a lot of things, and they helped me when I had questions,” she said. “That’s when I realized I wanted to do that and be that person for somebody else.”

So, Burgess enrolled in LPN courses in June 2021, graduating in August 2022 and starting immediately on Beckley ARH Hospital’s Med/Surg floor, where she completed her clinicals, at Beckley ARH Hospital.

“I knew I was home right away,” she said. “Everyone was so helpful and kind and it was obvious they liked and really cared about what they did every day. I knew it was a great fit for me.”

She said she also realized quickly that she wanted to further her education. So, by then married and pregnant with her first child, she enrolled in the University of Charleston’s Beckley campus while continuing to work full-time at the hospital.

“I loved working as an LPN, but saw there were so many more things I could do to help if I was an RN,” she said. “I wanted to be able to do things myself and provide the more progressive care that only RNs can do.”

Burgess both began and ended her 18-month nursing program pregnant, as she gave birth to daughter Tatum shortly after beginning her studies and graduated with her associate’s degree 39 weeks pregnant with her now 10-month-old son Briar.

“It was definitely a challenge,” she said, adding her husband Mark broke his back in the coal mines during that same time. “He’s better and back at work, but it was not an easy time.”

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Burgess was recently named a recipient of ARH’s EDcellence Award, a system-wide honor recognizing employees who demonstrate outstanding commitment to education, professional growth, and personal development. 

She said she was both shocked and humbled by the honor and by the words on the nomination form submitted by a former co-worker.

“It talked about all of the things I was going through while I was in school,” she said. “I guess because it was my life –showing up every day, going to school, doctor’s appointments and trying to pay bills – that it just seemed normal. I didn’t realize how much I had going on until I saw that on paper.

“I just did what I had to do and I’m so grateful to be here and honored that other people realized how hard I was working.”

Though it’s not an easy job, Burgess said she knows she’s where she was meant to be.

“There are bad days, of course, but helping people through bad days is why we become nurses to begin with,” she said. “You become a nurse because you genuinely want to care for people and help them every day. I’m very blessed and honored to do what I do.

“I know people say it – and I say it all the time – but I really do love my job and I’m proud of the work I get to do.”

And she said she thinks her grandmother would be proud, too.

“Oh, she’d be so ecstatic,” Burgess said. “She would be over the moon!”