ASHLAND — Carol Hale is being recognized by Companions of Ashland for her 60 years of service in the medical field as of last month.
Hale worked hard to come up with $250 to enter nursing school in 1953. Today she has the title clinical instructor of Companions of Ashland, a post she’s owned since 2009.
“We at Companions couldn’t be more humbled to have a nursing pioneer on our team,” said Lauren Deese, of Companions. “She continues to enlighten us every day with her giving spirit and compassion.”
Upon successful completion of her state boards in 1956 she was offered a nurse manager position at a local doctors office. After three years of work there she was approached by Elyria High School to write the curriculum for the senior Nurse Aide’s to become LPN’s.
She completed three years of teaching and was then contacted by the Lorain County TB & Test clinic to make sure patients were up to date on X-Rays and taking their medications. She worked their for 5 1/2 years before moving to Kentucky with her husband Ed. The couple were married for 51 years.
Carol checked with the Fayette County Health Department for an opening and was hired to start a program for “Short term therapy for TB.” She worked closely with the Health Department for a year.
Since her job their was done, the department recommended her for a Director of Nursing position for a large facility in Kentucky. In 1980, Carol was offered a position by the Medina County Career Center and asked to write the medical assistant program. She taught this course for nine years before becoming involved with the Ashland County-West Holmes Career Center’s medical assisting program.
Not only did she have an impact on the students locally, but as well as to the whole state of Ohio for Nurses that had to take the state board from other countries. That program was devised to help ease “Test Anxiety.”
In 2009, Carol was approached by Tiffany Behrendsen owner of Companions of Ashland Nurse Aide Training Centers to become an STNA instructor to help mold young minds as they start their careers in the medical field. Since then she continues at Companions as a clinical instructor.
