The Great 100 Nurses in North Carolina honors nurses around the state for their commitment to excellence. The recipients are distinguished for their outstanding professional ability and contributions to improving health care services in their communities. This year, 25 ECU Health nurses were honored, including Elizabeth Arnold, Dustin Bass, Allison Castelloe, Randy Mintz, Kaili Nixon and Wendy Minton.
Elizabeth Arnold
Two years ago, Elizabeth Arnold, a clinical informaticist II, celebrated when her twin sister, Elaine, was one of the Great 100 Nurses of North Carolina. Now, Elizabeth is the one to be celebrated.
Elizabeth attended East Carolina University (ECU) and received her degree in nursing, a decision she made after watching her mother work as a lab technician in a doctor’s office. She came to Pitt County Memorial Hospital in 1995 as a nurse extern, and in 1996, she joined the OR team, specializing in cardiovascular thoracic surgery. She spent 26 years in the OR, including many years managing the OR team, before transitioning to her current role in Informatics. Having just celebrated her 30-year anniversary, Elizabeth said ECU Health has always been home for her nursing career.
“I know the system,” she said. “If someone needs help, even if I don’t know the answer, I know the resources to find the answer. It provides a lot of community and innovation.”
Elizabeth said she is honored to be recognized as a Great 100 Nurse.
“The award doesn’t make me the nurse I am, but it puts that stamp that says you’ve achieved something,” she said. “If there is an emergency at work, I go to work,” she added. “My whole career has been about what the patient needs. I am dedicated to our patients and serve to help as much as possible when there is a patient or unit in need. That’s very fulfilling.”
Dustin Bass
Dustin Bass, a first-generation college graduate, said his whole career has been about emergency medicine.
“I knew I wanted to help people,” he said. “I volunteered at a hospital as a teenager, and when I saw a nurse jump on a stretcher and start CPR on a patient, I remember thinking, ‘I want to save someone’s life.’ I got my diploma in 2011, my first job was in the emergency department (ED) and I never looked back.”
The Yale graduate now serves as the vice president of system emergency services at ECU Health, a transition that provides challenges and opportunities to help patients.
“I try to inspire and uplift our team to be the best they can be, so they can be the best for our patients,” he said. “I like to get my hands dirty and get the job done. It’s a large, academic medical system, but it still has a family feel to it. That’s not something you see in larger institutions. I appreciate that and can be myself.”
Receiving this recognition as a Great 100 Nurse is humbling, Dustin said. “Some of my mentors have been recognized, so when I was nominated, I was surprised. You don’t always think about what’s on your CV.”
The award is also a recognition for ECU Health, he said. “This highlights how great of a system this is. Just because we’re rural doesn’t mean we aren’t the best of the best. We have so many great providers and nurses who strive to do their best, and you can see that in the care we provide.”
Allison Castelloe
Allison Castelloe has been with ECU Health Roanoke-Chowan Hospital for 16 years, a journey that began in the ED, where she discovered a strong passion for emergency nursing. That passion laid a foundation for her professional growth, leading to her current role as a quality nurse specialist III. She holds an MSN in nursing leadership and managements, and she is actively involved in improving the care of patients with stroke, sepsis and ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). “I find this work both challenging and rewarding,” she said.
Health care has been a big part of Allison’s life, and she found inspiration to pursue her career from a variety of sources. “Watching my mom find her fulfillment in nursing and seeing the meaningful connections she built while caring for others left a lasting impression on me,” she said. “Working in a rural community hospital where team members feel like family – and where some truly are family – has created an incredibly supportive and fulfilling work environment. Being a part of ECU Health Roanoke-Chowan Hospital has deepened my commitment to the nursing profession and affirmed that nursing is truly where I belong.”
ECU Health has been a great fit for Allison, in part because it’s allowed her to work locally and serve her community. “Rural health care comes with its challenges, but it is incredibly rewarding to build relationships with the people you care for and to improve their health over time,” she said. She’s honored to now be recognized for the work she’s doing every day.
“This is a significant milestone in my nursing career, one that I will cherish forever,” she said. “To be celebrated alongside some of the most dedicated and inspiring nurses in our state is uplifting and motivating.”
Yet, Allison is quick to share the credit for her success. “It’s not just because of years of hard work,” she said. “But also because of the incredible team members and leaders who have believed in me along the way. My family’s unwavering support – especially that of my husband – has also pushed me to keep striving. He never hesitated to step up when I needed him most.”
Randy Mintz
When Randy Mintz, a staff nurse III in ECU Health Beaufort Hospital’s ED, exited the military, he thought he would pursue a career in law enforcement. A nurse he worked with in New Mexico had different ideas, and she encouraged him to become a nurse.
Now pursuing his bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) at the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW), Randy said one of the best things about being a nurse is the opportunity and variety. “There are a thousand different jobs you can do within this field,” he said. “You can find what works for your life.”
Randy worked at the Medical Center, but he’s enjoyed working at ECU Health Beaufort because of the people and the small-town feeling. He loves the work, and he doesn’t do it for the recognition – but winning this award has been a nice surprise.
“To me, it’s just doing what you’re supposed to do, but to our patients and their families, you’re doing something phenomenal,” he said. “After 20 years of doing this, this is hands down the best award I’ve gotten. It’s a pat on the back that knocks you down.”
Randy said so many other nurses are deserving, and the fact that ECU Health represents a quarter of the Great 100 Nurses this year is no accident. “We have fantastic nurses,” he said. “This shows we’re doing something right. You couldn’t ask for better folks.”
Kaili Nixon
Twenty-one years ago, Kaili Nixon, a manager of patient care services at the ECU Health Chowan and ECU Health Bertie EDs, joined ECU Health in the medical surgical unit. She transitioned to managing the ED in 2014, and she now thrives in her leadership role. “I am firm that I don’t forget where I came from,” she shared. “I try to put myself in the nurses’ shoes and run the ED as if a member of my family was coming here.”
Kaili was inspired to pursue nursing after watching her grandfather battle Alzheimer’s, and watching the care he received inspired her to help others. She also wanted to make an impact on her community – one of the reasons she chose ECU Health. “I moved to Edenton and wanted to work locally. The atmosphere here is like a family, and you feel like your contributions matter.”
That’s exactly what she’s doing, and she appreciates being recognized as a Great 100 Nurse. “There’s nothing cookie cutter about the challenges we face in health care on a daily basis, and you have to think differently to meet the needs of our patients, their families and our team members,” she said.
It’s a special thing that 25 of the Great 100 Nurses come from ECU Health, she said. “Our dynamic in nursing is changing. The system has put a lot of work into retaining our talent, and this is yet another way ECU Health shows appreciation for the nursing team.”
Wendolyn Minton
Wendy Minton, who recently celebrated her 30-year anniversary with ECU Health, has worked at ECU Health Roanoke-Chowan Hospital with specialties in critical care and emergency services. She always wanted to help people, and nursing was the only career she ever wanted. “I started as a new graduate in the intensive care unit (ICU) and floated to the ED when the ICU census was low,” she said. “I found I enjoyed the fast pace of the ED and transferred there.”
In those next 20 years, Wendy has served as the unit educator, emergency management coordinator, stroke coordinator, assistant nurse manager and currently the patient care manager for the ED, central staffing and hospital supervisor/coordinator group.
While she joined ECU Health as a part of a three-year agreement upon completion of nursing school, Wendy said she came to love the hospital. “I couldn’t see myself working anywhere else. This is my home and my coworkers are family. It has been a priority to be the best example I could be for my three children in having a strong work ethic and to serve others. It shows them hard work pays off.”
She can think of no better way to celebrate her 30-year anniversary than by being named a Great 100 Nurse of North Carolina. “It’s an absolute honor and very humbling,” she said. “I am grateful that my dedication to my patients, their families, my team members and the organization has not gone unnoticed. That so many of us were recognized this year speaks volumes to what a great organization ECU Health is.”
The recipients will be honored at a statewide gala in October, to be held in Goldsboro, North Carolina.
Further Reading
ECU Health claims a quarter of the Great 100 Nurses of North Carolina
Twenty-five ECU Health nurses recognized among Great 100 Nurses of North Carolina