Ordinary People: Arlene Hett has passion for nursing
Staff writer
For more than half her life, exactly 33 years, Arlene Hett has been doing what she loves — being a nurse.
The oldest of four children and only daughter of Harvey and Lillian Peters of Hillsboro, Arlene grew up on a farm outside of Hillsboro. She attended a country school located eight miles southeast of Hillsboro in the Aulne area.
In 1966, she graduated from Hillsboro High School. She attended Bethel Deaconess School of Nursing and received her registered nursing diploma in 1969.
She came back to work in Hillsboro because she had received a scholarship through the Tuberculosis Association. Taking that scholarship required her to take a two-year commitment at Salem Hospital (now Hillsboro Community Medical Center).
At Salem Hospital, she met her husband-to-be Alvin Hett.
"He was a patient in the hospital, and I took care of him," Arlene said.
In 1971, the couple were married and moved to Manhattan, where Alvin finished his degrees in business and ag mechanization at Kansas State University.
While in Manhattan, Arlene worked as an RN at St. Mary's Hospital. She worked part-time as house supervisor and part-time on the medical floor.
In December of 1972, the couple came back to Hillsboro, where Alvin worked as a loan officer/field representative at First National Bank (now Emprise Bank).
Arlene then began working at Salem Hospital again as an RN and continues to work at the hospital now, but as a PRN, on as needed basis.
She has worked at the hospital for more than 30 years holding various positions. They include OB, OR, ER supervisors as well as director of nursing — a position she held for six years.
"I've worn all kinds of hats in those years," she said.
Currently, Arlene works once a month as the pre-op nurse for Dr. Terria Winn preparing patients for cataract surgery. She does the pre-op work in what she terms, "dropping the eyes."
As a nurse these many years, Arlene said she has seen a variety of changes in the medical and nursing field. Documentation is more thorough than it was in the past, and making assessments has changed.
For instance, Arlene said that listening to heart and breathing sounds use to be done strictly by the doctors, and now nurses are also doing those assessments.
Another change she has seen is that all nurses at the hospital must be certified in Advanced Cardiac Life Support. This means that the nurses take an active role in ACLS when a patient has a cardiac arrest.
One of the most challenging times for Arlene was when she was director of nursing at Salem.
"We had seven administrators, both interim and permanent during those six years," she said. "Trying to keep staff and being on call five days a week was difficult."
"But the thing that made it worthwhile were the nurses on staff," she said. "They were tremendous people, and I couldn't have made it without their commitment and support. God helped us through some tough times."
In 2001, Arlene accepted a position at Via Christi-St. Francis in Wichita. She works in the emergency room from 1 p.m. to 1 a.m. on a five-day 12-hour shift.
"That time is considered the busiest time of the day," she said. "I help patients who come to the emergency room with problems from a toothache to cardiac arrest, and I love it."
During her 12-hour shift, Arlene may help with up to 30 patients. She stays in Wichita during her five-day-rotation schedule.
For her dedication and efforts, Arlene earned the Employee of the Month Award after being employed for only six months at St. Francis.
In December of 2002, she received Employee of the Year. She was given a clock with the Via Christi insignia and a certificate. Nominations for the award come from co-workers and anyone working in the emergency room.
"I was really surprised that I was given this award," Arlene said.
Arlene said her philosophy in her job is to practice nursing with skill and intelligence and compassion.
As far as belonging to civic organizations, Arlene does not have much time to do those things because of her schedule.
She has been a lifelong member of Trinity Mennonite Church.
She enjoys reading, especially mysteries; doing cross stitch; walking; traveling, when they can; and she also makes hooded baby towels for gifts.
She and her husband Alvin have four children. Audrey, a CPA in Kansas City, her husband Wayne Hodgson, and their only granddaughter, Dara, live in Paola. Suzanne and her husband Grant Siemens live in Newton, where she is an RN at Central Care Cancer Center. Kevin is a senior at the University of Kansas and will graduate with a sports management and personal training degree in May 2003, and Julie is a sophomore at Tabor College.
