“Presley Ivers always has a smile on her face.” “She’s passionate about her profession, dependable and motivates others.”
These are just some of the compliments from Ivers’ patients, co-workers and supervisors. And the compliments keep coming for Ivers, a recent graduate of GateWay Community College’s Respiratory Care program.
Ivers received the 2016 “Practitioner of the Year” award at the Arizona Society for Respiratory Care (AzSRC) Conference & Expo in Phoenix.
“I was shocked,” said Ivers. “I was just always doing what I do. I’m flattered and happy to know that my day-to-day interactions impacted someone enough to nominate me.”
Ivers graduated from GateWay Community College last year with an Associate in Applied Science in Respiratory Care degree and has been a registered respiratory therapist at HonorHealth Deer Valley Medical Center for the past six months.
Her passion for respiratory care and empathy toward the patient makes her want to provide each patient with the best care possible, she says.
GateWay Respiratory Care instructor Sandra Hinski said she was not surprised to learn that Ivers received the “Practitioner of the Year” award.
“She was a joy to teach,” says Hinski. “She was the president of our student club, a mentor and always willing to go the extra mile for her classmates. That translates into the hospital setting as well…she goes that extra mile with her patients and is a valuable part of the profession. I am so proud of her.”
Ivers says she chose GateWay Community College’s respiratory care program because of its reputation in the healthcare community.
“The program prepared me through rigorous testing, high expectations from the teachers and clinicals,” Ivers says. “We also did volunteer work that opened doors to connect with others in the respiratory community.”
In addition to her educational experience, Ivers says, personal experience also prepared her for her career.
“I chose this profession because I have had chronic asthma my entire life,” Ivers says. “About the same time I considered returning to school, I was intubated twice within a month. I realized that I could help others because of my experience. This type of education cannot be gained from opening a book.”
To learn more about GateWay Community College’s Respiratory Care program, visit gatewaycc.edu/respiratory-care.