The first time she visited JPS Health Network, getting a job was the last thing on Shenna Taylor’s mind.
Six years ago she accompanied a family member to an important appointment at the main campus. It was eye-opening. Shenna was so impressed by the care her loved one received, she decided she wanted to be a part of the JPS team.
“I’m the baby of my mom’s 11 kids, but I’ve always been the one that takes care of everybody,” she said. “From that one visit, I could tell that this was the place I was supposed to be.”
Shenna has a natural gift for connecting with people.
“I was the one who could always spark a conversation or get someone to smile,” she said. “That’s what I try to do here. If I can make the patient smile and take their mind off their troubles for a few minutes, I’ve done my job.”
That’s not always an easy task. As a Certified Medical Assistant, she helps patients with tasks that aren’t much fun like doing paperwork and taking their vital signs. Sometimes she even has to draw their blood.
Like when she was growing up, Shenna is still taking care of her family -- only this time, instead of brothers, sisters and parents, it’s her JPS family. She works in the Employee Health Clinic, helping make her teammates well so they can get back to their job of taking care of others.
JPS Director of Employee and Occupational Health Services Daphne Jones said Shenna is “an exceptional employee, always going above and beyond the call of duty.”
Working in the Employee Health Clinic can be a tough job, according to Jones. “It’s a small clinic that serves 40-50 people a day, all team members who are particular about how things should be done and eager to get back to their job. If Shenna can keep the people who come to the Employee Clinic happy, you know she’s doing a great job.”
Happy in her role as a CMA, Shenna said she plans to expand her skills by learning to do sonograms and, perhaps one day, pursuing her childhood dream of becoming a nurse.