Employee Profile: Encarnacion Baker
Nurse manager at Baptist Memphis strives for joy
Baptist Memorial Health Care has been part of Encarnacion Baker’s life for 24 years. In fact, a Baptist experience led Baker to her nursing career.
Encarnacion Baker’s son was born at 26 weeks and spent 12 weeks in the newborn ICU at Baptist Memorial Hospital-Memphis. During that time, Baker watched nurses lovingly care for her tiny baby, who weighed just 1 pound, 14 ounces.
“I knew I needed to be a nurse so I could always take care of my son,” she said. “When he turned 1, I enrolled in nursing school at Baptist College of Health Sciences (now Baptist Health Sciences University). I have so much history in this place.”
Today, Baker’s son is 24 years old and in great health. “He’s so tall — you’d never think he was premature!”
She’s been a registered nurse at Baptist Memphis for 20 years, with 14 of those years working in the medical neurosurgical intensive care unit. Today, she manages 67 staff members in the 38-bed medical surgical unit.
Baker loves finding ways to create as much joy as possible in her unit. Every week, she makes rounds with her staff and asks them to share something about a patient that wouldn’t be listed in their medical chart.
“At first, the nurses weren’t sure what to do with this,” she laughed, “but when you connect with patients, you create rapport and trust. That leads to better outcomes for everyone. The patients know we care, and the nurses feel good about bonding with their patients. Now, they are flooding me with stories about their patients. It’s almost cathartic — in the hustle and bustle of the day, these connections are so touching.”
Baker and her team discovered a patient and his wife had been married in the hospital a year earlier and were there again on their first anniversary. Naturally, they threw a party to celebrate! The “bridesmaids” are pictured here.
Baker’s passion for nursing is evident in just a brief conversation with her. She mentioned a quote the chief nurse executive, Mary Ellen Sumrall, recently shared with her: “Happiness begins where selfishness ends.” (Coach John Wooden)
“That’s really something to really think about,” she said. “When you’re not focused on yourself, you’re creating happiness for others. That’s how we can bring joy back into nursing.”
Grateful patient family praises Baker and her team
Baker and her team left a lasting impression on former patient John Dixon and his family. He and his wife, Arlene, delivered gifts and a heartfelt letter to the unit. Arlene Dixon expressed appreciation for the entire team who cared for her husband, but she had especially high praise for Baker:
“Your attention to detail and willingness to go the extra mile assisted his family in remaining hopeful and prayerful for a complete turnaround…Your dedication and enthusiasm are truly appreciated, and you are a valuable asset to your profession and organization.”
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