Mindy Byrd always dreamed of becoming a nurse while growing up in Bruce and today she works her dream job as a nurse practitioner in Jackson.
“I always knew I wanted to do something in the medical profession when I was growing up,” Byrd said. “I still remember Career Day when I was in the first grade and they asked ‘What do you want to be?’ I said ‘nurse.’”
Byrd’s inspiration for the nursing field was very close by in her mother Lorenza.
“I would always go up to the hospital with her and I would wear her nursing hat,” Byrd said. “Going to the doctor’s office never scared me when I was little, and I thought they had the coolest toys and tools to play with.”
Byrd, 33, also is thankful for the encouragement and education she received at Bruce High School.
“I felt very prepared when I left Bruce and went to college,” she said. “I thought our teachers did a great job, if we were willing to listen. I had a good education and because of that, I’m still a big fan of the public school system. It did good by me.”
Byrd said Janet Jenkins, Bobbye Mason and Debbye Hurst were among the most influential teachers during her school days.
“I still keep in touch with Mrs. Jenkins regularly,” she said. “I found it interesting when she went back to nursing school.”
Byrd said she was also drawn into the medical field due to a desire to “help people and I really liked biology in school. I was always better at the maths and sciences.”
While doing rotations in nursing school at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, Byrd was exposed to a lot of nurse practitioners.
“I liked what they did and it seemed like a good fit for me,” Byrd said.
Throughout her schooling, Byrd said she always “tested highest with the heart” and upon completing her bachelor’s degree she worked on a cardiac floor and knew she was in the right place.
“I realized then my dream job was to one day work for Jackson Heart Clinic,” Byrd said.
Jackson Heart Clinic was founded in 1973 at St. Dominic Memorial Hospital and is one of the largest cardiology groups in Mississippi.
“They are very modern, staying up to date on all the latest studies,” Byrd said. “They are a Christian group and you can see they truly love what they do. They have the same passion I do, that’s why I was drawn to them.”
Byrd works on the hospital side assisting whichever doctor is on call.
“God forbid, if you were in Jackson and went to St. Dominic and they thought it was heart-related, I would get the call and come see you first and work everything up and get things set up with the doctor,” Byrd explained.
“We make things easier for the doctors and provide quicker care for the patients which allows the doctors to spend more time in the lab where they can be most productive.”
Among the most important aspects of the job for Byrd is her ability to relate to her patients.
“The biggest compliment to me is when someone will say ‘I know what you’re talking about,’” Byrd said. “We have a tendency in the medical profession to use a lot of big words and when you’re dealing with the heart it can be scary for most patients. If I can explain it to the patient on their level, reassure and comfort them, and they get it, then I know I’ve done my job.
“I’ve seen instances where medical staff will talk over the patient’s head and they leave the room and the patient has no idea what’s going on. I don’t want to be that person. I want to be able to relate and make them feel better.”
The job does come with its share of stress.
“When they don’t have a good diagnosis and you have to tell the patient and family members, that’s always the worst part,” Byrd said. “In medicine, it’s not always positive. Fortunately, those days are less than the good. Any bad day I’ve had, there’s always some good, too. It seems to always balance out. The next day always brings new patients and it’s always going to be something different.”
There’s always another patient, especially in Mississippi.
“Heart disease is the number one killer in the nation and in Mississippi,” Byrd said. “We’re obviously a busy service because of that. One of the things I like about our group is we’re trying to do a lot of preventative work.”
Byrd is also a member of the American Heart Association and the “Go-Red” committee that raises money to help various awareness programs and research.
“Being a nurse practitioner has allowed me to do a lot of mission trips,” Byrd said. “I just returned from Haiti last month.”
“Even though I do cardiac most of the time, I’m still family trained, so I’m able to go and run clinics and serve a lot of people. That’s a great experience.”
She’s also done a number of local missions and worked at outreach clinics on the Gulf Coast immediately following Hurricane Katrina.
“I feel like I’m making a difference,” Byrd said. “I’m excited about what I’m doing.”
She’s lived in the Jackson area since 1995 and said while it’s very different from Calhoun County, “it’s starting to feel like home now.”
Byrd is now determined to go back to school and get her doctor’s of nurse practitioner. She’s also actively involved with the Mississippi Nurses Association and said she’s interested in one day holding a state office with the organization.
“There’s always more to learn, more to accomplish,” Byrd said.