Nurses are the backbone of our health care system. From lending an empathetic ear to administering medications to sitting with us when it feels like the world is falling down around us, they are there—making us feel human while seeming superhuman themselves. The nurses within these pages are the ones you nominated for their lasting influence, and they are truly the champions of our West Virginia centers of care. Read their stories, discover what inspires them, and be inspired yourself.
Destiny Williams
Family Nurse Practitioner WVU Medicine United Hospital Center Specialty: Family medicine
Even before Destiny Williams became a nurse practitioner, she saw the importance of building relationships with her patients. She says talking with her patients, getting to know about their lives and their interests, makes a big impact. “Patients respond more to you by doing that,” she says.
As a first-generation college student, Williams knew she wanted to pursue a career making a difference. She was torn between teaching and nursing, but she landed on nursing because she loves to meet new people and help take care of them.
The Clarksburg native first obtained her LPN degree in 2010 and then her BSN in 2019. She continued her education and became a nurse practitioner in 2021. She now works at WVU Medicine United Hospital Center Family Medicine. She credits family support to her success in her nursing career, as she maintained full-time employment throughout each degree program. She even has a son who is following in her footsteps to become a nurse himself.
For Williams, expanding her education gave her an opportunity to help her patients in a different way, particularly by offering guidance and preventative care. “By giving people access to a family medical home, it helps keep costs down for them and it helps keep costs down across the state. Giving access and being able to provide health care is wonderful for me.”
When Williams sees a patient, she doesn’t just see a diagnosis to treat. She sees an individual who deserves a holistic approach to care. “I love meeting new people and talking with people,” she says. “I want to build a rapport with my patients on a different level, to make them feel like someone cares about them. You’re not your diagnosis. You’re a human being, and we’re trying to take care of the whole of you.”
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