Randy Mintz, a registered nurse with the ECU Health Enterprise Resource Team, began his nursing career in 1999, and he joined ECU Health in 2009, but health care was not his first career.
“I was in the military,” he said. “My dad and brother were in the Air Force. My dad was from Wilmington, and I grew up there until I was 14 or so and we moved to Wichita Falls, Texas. When I finished high school, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do, but I didn’t want to stay there. I decided to give the military a shot.”
After his four years in the Air Force, during which time he was stationed in Germany and then New Mexico, Randy signed up for the National Guard, where he served as a medic.
“I think working in health care was always in the back of my mind,” Randy said. “In the Air Force I considered an EMT class, but it just didn’t work out and I let it go.”
Once he was out of the military, Randy wanted a stable career with benefits, and he decided to enter law enforcement. He found a job in a detention center, but a few weeks in, he met Pat Kosman.
“We had a few inmates who were sick, and Pat was a gruff, older nurse who worked there. She said, ‘Randy, you should go to nursing school.’ I told her she was crazy – I was going to be a cop.”
At the same time, Randy was in school where he took sociology, psychology and criminal justice classes.
“The college was kicking off this EMT program, and one of the instructors asked if I wanted to take an EMT basic class. I thought it was a good idea because in law enforcement, as a first responder, it could be a good opportunity.”
Randy took the class, and then he took the intermediate class.
“It was kind of fun and I did really well. And in the second class, I had awesome clinicals at the hospital.”
And who was his preceptor at that hospital? Pat Kosman.
“When the clinicals ended, she told me I really needed to go to nursing school. She said, ‘you’ve got a knack for this.’”
Randy “flipped the switch” and spoke with his advisor about changing his career plan to nursing. She helped him fill out the application for nursing school, and a few weeks later, he was called in for an interview with the program director.
“There were a few pre-requisites I needed to complete, which would take another semester, and I got in. I was like, wow – I’m really meant to be here. That’s how it all started.”
“And Pat – she was instrumental in making it happen. I’m not sure what she saw in me, but she set the path in motion,” Randy added.
Randy said his work in the military has shaped the way he approaches nursing, specifically how he interacts with his colleagues and leadership.
“When you’ve been a nurse for 26 years, you lead different teams and you want to treat everybody you work with the way you’d want to be treated,” he said. “Especially if you’re in a leadership position – you want your team to know you work for them. You’re there to serve them and make their world a little bit better.”
That carries over to his current role with the Enterprise Resource Team.
“The team is like the central staffing office for the entire health system,” he explained. “I go to the Medical Center, Edgecombe and Beaufort, but the system is set up by region, and you pick which region you’re in. Then you get an email or text at five in the morning that tells you where you’re going that day, where you’re needed.”
While working in a variety of locations can be challenging, Randy said it provides insight into how different departments function.
“You bring some good influence and values, and it offers a different way of thinking and doing things,” he said.
To anyone considering a career in health care, Randy said he had some advice for them.
“Health care, and nursing especially, is a great opportunity to provide for yourself and your family. The investment up front may seem like a lot, but there are so many opportunities, from clinical education, leadership, nurse practitioner, CRNA – you may not even realize how many there are until you’re in it. The beginning is the same, but there are different pathways you can take.”
Randy’s path hasn’t been a straight one, but he doesn’t regret his decision.
“I never thought I’d be doing this, but it’s been really fun,” he shared. “I’m happy I was pushed in this direction. We have the opportunity to take care of our community, and whether you’re in one of the community hospitals or the Medical Center, you’re making a big impact.”