LAVERNA COLE – INSTRUMENT TECH, TEXAS
Our employees are all patient care champions, but some go the extra mile and we want to give them the recognition they deserve. They embody the PPOA values known as S.I.T.E. – Safety, Integrity, Teamwork, Empathy – which informs our service to patients and the community through high quality health care.
Laverna Cole is an instrument technician at PPOA’s Precinct Ambulatory Surgery Center in Hurst, Texas. For her, it’s more than just a place to work; in many ways, it’s been her her home for more than a decade.
A native of Brownwood, Texas, Cole traveled the world as an “Air Force brat” but returned to West Texas roots after getting her certifications in Oklahoma.
She attended Oklahoma State University for a PCA (Patient Care Assistant) certification. She then attended Foster Estes Vocational School for her Nurse Assistant II certification. She has held several positions in the region, including Baylor Medical Center of Grapevine for 10 years and Specialty Surgery Center for 12 – until it was acquired by Physician Partners of America in 2013. “I’ve been at the same location for 14 years,” she says.
It shows in her command of the place and the way she greets everyone as if she was her own home. Doctors performing surgeries get a hug – or ask for one if she’s distracted. Patients get hugs too, or a gentle touch, and always kind words.
“My grandmother was a nurse and told me, ‘If people don’t walk out different from when they walked in, I’ve only done half my job,’ Cole says. “If I can give them a pat on the back or a hug, it can change their attitude.” That’s especially important when a patient is facing surgery.
Cole’s grandmother and mother were nurses, as well, which may help explain her caring heart. “I’m a people person,” she says. “But you have to have a heart to be a nurse.” She enjoys helping out her coworkers at the surgery center, pitching in wherever help is needed.
Her supervisor, April Hansard, says Cole is invaluable to the team. “Since I have arrive at Precinct Ambulatory Surgery Center, Laverna has made me feel like family,” Hansard says. “She is very well liked at the facility and goes out of her way to assist when needed.”
Cole is the mother of four grown sons and a grandmother of three. When she’s not working she enjoys going to church, walking six miles every other day, swimming, baseball and tennis. She also loves jazz and theater.
