CHILLICOTHE — Last year, Kathi Edrington was appointed President and CEO of Adena Health. While she has only been in this position for a few months, as a mother, Edrington has been caring for others for decades.
Her experiences in her personal and professional life have helped shape how she looks at the future of healthcare.
Growing up, Edrington said she always knew she would be going into a healthcare-related career. She was encouraged by her father, who was a physician; the only choice she had to make was to become a nurse or a physician. She quickly learned that nurses are more hands-on and got to interact more with patients, something she continues to enjoy, so she went to school to become a nurse.
“I always knew I wanted to be in healthcare,” said Edrington.
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As a critical care nurse, Edrington said she didn’t think much about moving up the ladder and becoming a leader until she realized how much of a difference she could make in higher positions. With this in mind, she went back to school.
At the same time, she started having children with her husband. As a young mother, Edrington worked to balance school, work and her personal life, something she says she was only able to do thanks to the support system around her.
“I don’t know how I did it,” said Edrington of balancing her personal and professional life.
Having grown up seeing her parents work long, hard hours, Edrington strove to be her best while also making time for her children. She knew she wanted to be there for the important moments in their life. Now, as a leader, she encourages others in the field to do the same because your kids are only at home for so long and you don’t want to miss being with them.
“You won’t get it back,” said Edrington of missing time with family.
As her three daughters grew, they saw Edrington accomplish the goals she set for herself. They even got to be there when she defended her doctorate, Edrington said it was rewarding for them to be there because they had seen her working on reaching this goal for years. As she worked to reach her dreams, Edrington said she hopes she showed her daughters how important it is to be able to stand on one’s own, no matter what path they chose in life.
“It’s great to have a partner, but you have to stand on your own two feet,” said Edrington.
Seeing her daughters grow to become confident women with children of their own, Edrington is now learning from them. As time goes on, practices and care techniques change and Edrington tries to take the open mindset she has with her family into the working environment because care techniques are always changing and she wants Adena to offer the best.
Edrington said it is an “honor” to be in her current role. Having seen both sides of the care system, as a nurse and a patient’s family member, she hopes to use the things she has learned in her personal and professional life to make Adena Health an encouraging place for people to work and a trusted place for patients to receive care.
This article originally appeared on Chillicothe Gazette: Adena Health President uses lessons learned in life in new position
Reporting by Shelby Reeves, Chillicothe Gazette / Chillicothe Gazette
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