Employee of the Year - Amber Van Kirk

Congratulations to Amber Van Kirk, OneWorld's Employee of the Year for 2007. Amber is a nurse and a diabetic educator. It is quite an honor to be voted as employee of the year in an organization of almost 140 employees. Click here for a list of all of the employee of the month winners for 2007. Remember that anyone can nominate an employee for employee of the month. The form is available here or on the "F" drive under forms or by contacting Beth Drick in Human Resources.

Amber was gracious enough to spend a few minutes with the OneWorld Herald to answer a few questions and give all of you faithful readers a chance to get to know her better.

Interview with Amber Van Kirk

OWH: Hi Amber, congratulations on the award.

AVK: Thanks, I get kind of embarrassed by all the attention.

OWH: You deserve it. How long have you been at OneWorld?

AVK: Just about three years. I did my preceptorship at OneWorld back when it was still the Indian-Chicano Health Center almost seven years ago. The main person I worked with was Courtney Allen and also did a lot of work with Jerry McGuire.

OWH: Where did you go to college and what is your degree in?

AVK: I got my BSN from Creighton University in 2001.

OWH: Have you always wanted to be a nurse?

AVK: Yes, absolutely. My mom and my grandma are both nurses. My mom is the nursing director for the Cardiac Cath Lab at Bryan/LGH in Lincoln. There are pictures of me dressed up as a nurse when I was little so I guess I never even thought twice about it.

OWH: Tell us a little bit about your childhood.

AVK: I was born in Sioux City, IA and we moved to Lincoln when I was in the first grade. I attended St. Joseph's Elementary School (Interestingly enough, Amber took religion and PE from my uncle Jerry while there) and St. Pius High School. I graduated from Pius in 1997.

OWH: Did you take Spanish in high school?

AVK: I only had two years there. It was very introductory.

OWH: So when did you learn to speak Spanish?

AVK: I participated in the ILAC (Institute for Latin American Concern) while I was at Creighton. Sarah Miller and Nick Flattery were in the same program. I always new that I wanted to work in some aspect of community health.

OWH: So you learned there?

AVK: Not totally. Most of what I learned I picked up in the Dominican Republic. After I graduated I moved to a small town near Brownsville, TX. I was a volunteer with Americorps for one year and worked at a birthing clinic. I learned a lot more there. When I completed my one year committment there I moved to the Dominican Republic. I lived there for a year and a half. During this time most of my work was centered around health promotion, things like water safety, nutrition...

OWH: Tell us a little bit about your current role as a diabetic educator and why you decided you wanted to do that.

AVK: My passion has always been in health education. While working as a nurse I sometimes feel like our interaction with the patients is too short. I wanted to be able to sit and talk with them and be able to help them make choices that would positively affect their health. I still work a couple of days each week as a nurse in the clinic.

OWH: Has there been anyone who has really influence you during your time here at OW?

AVK: The have been lots of people but Jerry McGuire is the one that stands out the most. It is neat to work around someone who works so tirelessly with and for our patients. He is a true inspiration.

OWH: Any childen or pets?

AVK: No pets. I have a daughter Hanila who will be four years old in March. She was born on the same day I was. It is kind of neat because I don't have to focus on getting older or my birthday. Now it's all about her.

OWH: What is your favorite TV show?

AVK: (Looks at me with a puzzled look) I don't really watch television.

OWH: What is the last book that you read?

AVK: "A Long Way Gone" It is about a child soldier in Africa. Very good book but pretty depressing.

OWH: What types of things do you like to do when you are not working?

AVK: Drawing, running, and camping. I took my daughter camping four times last year. She loves it and so do I.

OWH: Do you have any patient stories that stand out from your time here?

AVK: I once saw a mother in triage who had brought her daughter in because she wasn't doing well. She appeared to be about two years old. Her husband had been killed in a car accident and the mom was so concerned for the daughter and didn't have anywhere to go. I talked to her and found out that the daughter was actually five years old and was severely undernourished. She was not eating because her teeth were rotten. I got her an appointment right away with Dr. McVea and Dr. McVea treated her and got her hooked up with one of our social workers. This was almost three years ago and today the girl is doing well and is still a patient here at OneWorld.

OWH: That's a great story. Thanks for taking the time to sit with us today.