Teems brings joy to medical campus

    Peachtree - Kathy Teems was in and out of the hospital a lot as a child. She was shot in the eye with a BB when she was 8 years old, and for two weeks had to lay flat on her back with two sandbags holding her head in place. Her parents both worked, but she had others there to help her – the nurses.
    Years later, Teems is still in and out of the hospital in a different way – she is one of those medical professionals helping others. On June 26, she’ll be celebrating 40 years of working on the campus of Erlanger Western Carolina Hospital, formerly Murphy Medical Center.
    She started out as a certified nursing assistant working in the nursing home. Soon, she was transferred to the hospital to work in the nursery and medical surgery. She went on to work in the intensive care unit and emergency room, then back to med surg as a ward clerk.
    Over the years, Teems has gotten her emergency medical technician training and National Health Unit Coordinator Certificate. She’s back at Murphy Rehabilitation & Nursing, serving in the medical records department.
    “It’s always been like a family, and I couldn’t imagine a better place to be,” Teems said.
    Being a nursing assistant wasn’t something she was
interested in doing at first. Her mother –  Frances Clayton, a former candy striper at the local hospital – signed her up for a certified nursing assistant class. Teems told her she didn’t want to do it, but her mother told her to try the class for one day.
    “And I loved it from day one,” Teems said. “It just really hit me that’s what God wanted me to be.”
    She believes her mother regretted not doing more in the medical field, but also knew what Teems needed in her life.
    As a child, Teems was always taking care of other children, especially at church. She even helped one of her friends who had been in a really bad car accident recover while in the hospital.
    In addition to the births of her daughters, her favorite memory is the beginning of her relationship with her husband. Larry Teems was born and raised in the area, and she knew him and liked him.
    One day, he came into the emergency room because he cut his finger. Another nurse told him about Teems’ interest, and as a result they started dating.
    Teems said there were a
lot of parts to all of the positions she has held over the years. Taking care of the babies in the nursery was the sweetest. The intensive care unit and emergency room were most educational. Then there’s the nursing home.
    “I absolutely love what I do now,” she said.
    In fact, Teems joked that the only thing she doesn’t like is having to wear a mask all the time.
    She jokes often. She even said she hopes to work at the nursing home until she’s admitted as a resident.
    “She’s hilarious, she’s so funny,” said Kelly Roberts, administrator at Murphy Rehabilitation & Nursing. “I think she lifts people’s spirits.”
    “I just like people, and I like to make people happy,” Teems said. “Life’s too short to be grumpy all the time.”
    She thinks her father, Joe Clayton, is responsible for the humorous aspect of her personality.
    “My dad was a real comical fellow, and I guess I got it from him,” Teems said.
    Samantha Sinclair is the Scouting Around columnist for the Cherokee Scout. You can reach her by phone, 837-5122, Ext. 24; or email, scoutingaround@cherokee-scout.com.