Her Story
About Jillian
Jillian Higley has been an ICU nurse for 10 and a half years at a community hospital, where she works with a team of nurses, doctors, and specialists to care for critically ill patients from a diverse population, including vacationers. Her path to nursing began with eight years on an ambulance in a large city, followed by work as an educator with traumatically brain-injured children in residential and school settings, which sparked her interest in medicine. She holds a fine arts degree in education and a bachelor in nursing, and recently earned certifications as a wellness health coach and holistic nutritionist to help patients improve through lifestyle and nutrition alongside conventional care. Jillian is proud of the lives she has touched and the progress she has witnessed in patients and families during difficult times. She remains committed to mentoring nursing students and new hires while emphasizing the importance of staying humble, patient, open to learning, and caring for oneself.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Jillian
01What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
It's a hard job, and it's not for the faint of heart, but the most important thing is that you have to remain humble and always open to learning, and just keep an open mind, because everybody's different. You encounter so many different families, so many different types of people, you never know what people are going through at the time, so you have to be so patient with everybody. When people are sick, they're not at their best, and you just have to kind of understand that and try not to take everything so personally. But just be the best you can be, and also one of the most important things I've learned over the years is you have to take care of yourself as well.
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