2017 Health Care Champions Nurse: Rebecca Humphreys

SBJ photo by Wes Hamilton

Resume Highlights

• Nursing diploma, Cox College; bachelor’s in nursing and master’s in education, Drury University

• Former nursing instructor, coordinator and counselor at Cox College

• CoxHealth Partner Award recipient

After decades of life-saving work, Rebecca Humphreys’ expertise as a nurse was tested within her own family.

Following the completion of a beautification project at Hopedale Cemetery in Ozark, her husband Alan collapsed, was unresponsive and without a pulse. He had suffered cardiac arrest.

As a CoxHealth nurse and Cox College faculty member since 1972, she leaped into action – immediately beginning cardiopulmonary resuscitation, at 100 compressions per minute. Soon, people passing by came to her assistance, calling 911 and helping with CPR.

“Emergency medical staff arrived about 35 minutes after I initiated CPR,” she says.

The quick action saved Alan’s life. He spent six weeks in the intensive care unit before surgery and rehabilitation.

“Now, several years later,” she says, “Alan is healthier and more active than he was 10 years ago.”

Humphreys played her part in helping her husband survive and recover from a serious health episode, and that’s what she does each week as a nurse at CoxHealth. Health care is a team effort, she says, and nurses have a unique perspective that affects outcomes.

“Health systems are massive industries that require multiple cogs to run the system successfully,” she says. “Nurses are a critical front-line part of the health care.”

Humphreys began as a paid nursing student in 1972, graduating three years later. She has been with CoxHealth nearly the whole time, working in outpatient surgery for the last 22 years.

“I prepare and care for people having surgical or invasive diagnostic procedures, “ she says. “Generally, this is a near crisis for the person and their family.”

Building a rapport with each patient and their family members is the first step, Humphreys says. Using strong communication and listening skills is key to making patients feel safe – which, she says, is their greatest need. She tries to understand each person’s knowledge level and preferred learning style before guiding them through what to expect from the day.

“Restating to verify accurate understanding is vital,” Humphreys says. “Accurate, concise, specific information along with competent nursing skills, offers the patient and their family a positive and safe state of being.”

Although her peers have recognized her with nominations and awards, feedback from patients has been more rewarding. Former patients have stopped her in public and shared their progress following her care.

“Knowing I have made a difference and had a positive impact on people’s lives is gratifying,” she says. “To me, direct recognition by the recipients of my professional care validates my effectiveness as a ‘cog in the wheel’ of health care.”

Passing on the skills she learned, Humphreys also spent 15 years working at Cox College as a clinical instructor and classroom teacher.

The story of Florence Nightingale was influential in Humphreys’ youth. The pioneer in modern nursing worked during the Crimean War to improve food, housing and cleanliness for wounded and sick soldiers, resulting in soaring recovery rates.

“My professional motivation is to be the best possible example of the art and science of nursing,” she says.