Healing Heart: Laurel Barber, BSN, BBA, RN, CCRN

Nashville General Hospital Nurse Manager

 Eighteen years after getting her Bachelor of Business Administration and applying it to a successful career in human resources, Laurel Barber, BSN, BBA, RN, CCRN decided it was time to change her profession and went back to school to become a nurse.

“I wanted to do something where I could focus on helping people,” says Laurel. “After a family member had a massive heart attack, I was impressed by the care the nurses provided him and the family. That, along with a series of other events in my personal life, convinced me that nursing was the right career for me.”

Following a family move to Nashville, Laurel heard about the work being done at Nashville General Hospital and decided it was a good fit.

“There is a community feeling at this hospital that you don't get at other hospitals. The people that work here care for each other as much as we care for our patients. Being a nurse here is a labor of love,” says Laurel.

In addition to her three adult children, Laurel has two dogs – a beagle named Charlie and a corgi named Lucy. She enjoys cooking, chocolate, and binge watching Netflix and Hulu.

What do you like about working at Nashville General Hospital?

I believe every patient should be treated the same regardless of where they come from. I like that, at Nashville General, we care for each person with a respect and dignity that every human being deserves. It’s like we're on a mission to be outstanding and we never lose sight of that.

How has nursing changed during your career?

We've become more knowledgeable and better understand how to more effectively treat diseases and cure the human body. Some of the biggest changes happened in the past two years with the pandemic. We needed to work quickly to identify challenges and make improvements so our staff could continue to focus on providing empathetic care.

What inspires you?

People who have empathy and care for others inspire me. I’m also inspired by people who are able to provide care with limited resources, like those who do mission work in other countries.