Nurse Who Turns Pain into Care in Bitterroot Valley

A local orthopedic nurse has become a quiet hero for many patients in the Bitterroot Valley. She works at Bitterroot Health and has spent eight years helping people recover from injuries that affect the bones, joints and muscles. Her colleagues describe her as steady and detail‑oriented, but patients say she goes far beyond routine care. On special days, she hands out birthday bags to both new and long‑time patients, turning a difficult recovery into a moment of joy. In her daily work she assists surgeons with operations, follows up in the clinic and even serves as a medical scribe for Dr. Joel Walthall. She can pull any task from the list and still find time to stay late for extra shifts, ensuring no patient is left unattended.Before nursing, she tried other jobs such as a paralegal and real‑estate agent, but those roles did not satisfy her desire to help people directly. A personal history of seeing her mother’s struggle with addiction and illness in hospitals sparked a deeper commitment to compassionate care. When she herself faced serious health challenges, the uncertainty of waiting for answers became clear to her. She now knows how frightening it can be when questions are unanswered, so she often stays until nine at night to answer calls and give patients the reassurance they need. Her goal is to keep working in orthopedics, and she plans to pursue a nurse practitioner degree so she can offer even more support at her clinic.