Caring Careers
Healthcare hero Kimberly McGrath-Chase shines in the shadow of COVID-19
Kimberly McGrath-Chase didn’t choose nursing; she truly feels like it chose her. The clinical nurse manager for Milford Urgent Care graduated high school as an aspiring attorney, but when her 13-year-old brother unexpectedly died in an accident, everything changed. “When you go into a place like a hospital, you’re looking for that literacy because you’re looking for people to educate you,” she explained. “You’re looking for them to make you feel better, too, because there’s so many things you’re feeling. Going through my brother’s death was pretty horrific and feeling hopeless and helpless are feelings I never want to experience again, nor do I want anyone else to feel that way.”
With a new career path, she followed in the footsteps of her great-grandmother, who graduated from St. Joseph School of Nursing in 1918. “Her picture dons the wall there so it’s a really important part of my life,” she said.
McGrath-Chase graduated from St. Joe’s as a Licensed Practical Nurse in 1996, and returned to school in 2015 to become a Registered Nurse. Her great-grandmother’s photo is still there. “Before every test I would go to her and just say a little prayer,” she laughed.
McGrath-Chase says nursing has been her best friend for nearly 25 years. “I used to be an introvert, and now I feel as though I’m an extrovert, because I feel comfortable talking with patients,” she explained. “I feel comfortable with the knowledge base St. Joe’s has given me to educate people. Having confidence in myself has allowed me to run towards COVID-19, not run in the opposite direction. My education gave me the tools I needed to help educate the public and keep everyone safe. Nursing wasn’t something I chose originally; I really feel like it chose me and I went with it. Now, I can’t imagine my life without being a nurse, it’s who I am.”