If things had gone to plan, Phyllis Wilson would have headed off to law school when she graduated from Bell County High School in 1971.
Sometimes, however, what they say about parents knowing best, is actually the case.
“My mom and dad always wanted me to be a nurse,” explained Wilson, a native of Pathfork, Ky.
It made sense, as her mother Betty Ellis worked as an x-ray technician at Harlan ARH Hospital.
And it helped that her father Harmon Ellis’ job in the coal mines meant she would receive free admission to a local nursing school.
“That was back when ARH had a nursing school at Harlan,” Wilson said of what was then the ARH School of Professional Nursing. “One of the things they wanted back then was for either your husband or your father to work in the mines.”
Wilson received a scholarship that covered her tuition, but there was just one caveat.
“They wanted us to work at Harlan ARH or another ARH hospital for three years,” she said. “Of course, I wanted to stay at Harlan anyway, so that wasn’t a problem.”
It’s safe to say that Wilson has more than repaid that long-ago tuition.
In fact, if every three years of her ARH employment could cover a degree, Wilson would be well on her way to her 17th diploma by now.
“I wasn’t one who thought a whole lot about that stuff back then,” she said. “I wasn’t thinking that far ahead – or 50 years.”
She might not have thought about it, but she says it’s no surprise that, five decades later, she finds herself at the exact same place.
“I love it here,” she said. “Harlan has always been home.”
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Wilson started her nursing career on June 2, 1975.
And though she was technically a new nurse, she said she was already quite familiar with Harlan ARH, as she spent three weeks every summer, working on the 5th floor in pediatrics and GYN.
“I got to know the doctors and staff really good and that was nice because that’s where I worked when I started,” she said.
Wilson chuckled as she recalled working her way up as a new nurse.
“The doctors back then would never make their rounds without an RN with them,” she said. “I remember there was one doctor who wouldn’t accept you for a long time until he knew you were good.
“I knew he liked me though, because he would say, ‘go find that ex-student so she can make the rounds with me.’”
Wilson worked on the 5th floor until 1979, when – for the first and last time – she considered leaving the hospital.
“I had two kids by then and I was on a swing shift, and I could hardly do it,” she said. “But the nurse manager and administrator didn’t want me to quit.”
When the dayshift-only Director of Utilization Review position opened up, Wilson took the job.
“I had an LPN and a secretary working with me as we reviewed charts for medical necessity for admission,” she explained.
She gained additional responsibilities a few years later, when she was tasked with setting up Harlan’s Quality Department.
“Beckley (ARH) had already started their Quality Department, so I traveled there to learn how to do it,” she explained. “Once I got that set up, I was over both Quality and Utilization Review.”
As Wilson’s knowledge grew, so did her responsibilities, as she established a Coding Center at Harlan that, at the time, served every ARH facility.
Wilson, along with another nurse from Harlan and two from McDowell, became the first ARH employees certified in coding.
“It was a lot of work,” she said, adding she also traveled to Beckley to code on the weekends. “But we got it done.”
And it became more work a few years later when she assumed an extra role that, though she said she fought against at the time, turned out to be her favorite.
“The person who was over Risk left and the administrator told me he would like me to do,” she said. “I told him, ‘No,’ but he kept coming back and trying to talk me into it.”
Wilson said the Risk job, designed to ensure the safety of the facility, patients, staff and visitors, sounded interesting, but she was happy where she was.
She turned the position down several more times and said she thought the matter was closed.
“But then he asked again, and I finally took it,” she said. “And gosh, I didn’t have a clue what I was getting into.”
It took time, she said, as she learned the ins-and-outs of credentialing, incident report filing and other legal aspects of healthcare.
And before long, something unexpected happened.
“I got to where I loved it,” she said. “I never thought I would, but I did.”
The job even helped scratch a long-neglected itch, ignored since she chose nursing school over law school.
“I work with our ARH lawyers,” she said. “I attend meetings with them and do legwork for them. I get to see all different aspects of the law so that’s been nice.”
It’s been more than 40 years since Wilson, whose official title is Director of Risk and Compliance, has provided direct patient care.
Nonetheless, she pulls from her nursing experiences every day and said she remains connected to the patients Harlan serves.
“I still talk to patients,” she said. “They might not always know my last name, but they know I’m Phyllis and they know how to find me.”
It’s the same with her coworkers, too.
“I have a good relationship with all of our employees,” she said. “They know they can call me any time with a risk or compliance question. And that makes you feel good when they call you for help.
“It makes you feel really good when you can see that what you’re doing is making a difference and that you’re doing something to help ARH and all the people it serves.”
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Wilson is the mother of three sons, Chris, Tim and Hunter, and the grandmother of four, Brayden, Gracie, Dax and Dutton.
“We’re all ‘Yellowstone’ fans in my family,” she said, explaining Dutton’s name.
When she isn’t watching drama unfold on the fictional Dutton Ranch, she enjoys reading – Amish books are her favorites – and trying her hand at Bingo and the slot machines.
“I’m a gambler,” she said with a laugh. “I love going to casinos, and I play the lottery every day.”
Wilson hasn’t won enough money to buy her own ranch – her biggest payout was $5,000 – but she said that’s OK, as she recognizes her life has turned out just as it should.
“I’ve been honored to work for ARH all these years,” she said. “And I’m happy. I’m always happy to be here. That makes a big difference, I think. Working in an environment you enjoy with people you like is important.”
And though she isn’t quite ready for retirement yet, she said she has always known where she’d be when the day comes.
“We retire here,” she said, matter-of-factly. “We’re family. We don’t leave Harlan. We retire from Harlan.”
Until then, however, she said she will continue on as she has for the past 50 years, with her mother’s words guiding her way.
“She said, ‘Do the right thing by everybody,’” Wilson explained. “It’s something that we’ve always heard, but you have to treat your patients like they’re your family. Treat them the way you would want your family to be treated and always do the best you can.
“I think that’s all that’s really required,” she continued. “Do the right thing and what you feel is right and you’ll be OK.”
