Celebrating Our People – Meet Chelsey

Nursing supervisor Chelsey Reams, RN, has a goal to make the best of a patient’s long-term stay at Continuing Care Hospital.

“When I come in, my 12-hour shift goes to the patients,” Chelsey said. “Many patients haven’t been able to have visitors or their family lives far away and aren’t able to come see them while they’re here for six weeks, so I try to do little things, like wear cheetah print scrubs on the weekends with matching masks or bedazzled headbands.

“Sometimes I’ll write a funny quote on the whiteboard while they’re sleeping to surprise them when they wake up. Where they’re here for a long time, you get to know their vibe and sense of humor. It’s a good way to have fun while they’re here.”

Chelsey worked at Continuing Care Hospital for six years before becoming a travel nurse for a few years. She recently returned to Continuing Care Hospital and moved into a new position. She said she loved being a travel nurse, but felt called to return home.

“Seeing patients come in on a ventilator and then walk out of here is a miracle,” Chelsey said. “Travel nursing, you learn how to adapt to different places, but the best part here is the loyalty I feel. We’re a team here, and that’s why I came back.”

Chelsey comes from a long line of health care professionals – nurses, nurse practitioner, doctors and dentists.

“I grew up on a farm in Ashland and lived near all my family,” Chelsey said. “Medicine is what we do, and I’ve been blessed to have a great family.”

In her free time, Chelsey loves attending music festivals, concerts and hiking, but with COVID-19 preventing her from attending concerts and festivals, she’s exercising her creative muscles by decorating her house with themed rooms.

“I’ve turned my house into an art museum,” Chelsey said. “I gathered everything I have collected during my travels and now I’ve displayed it. There’s a music festival room; my room has an old-school vanity theme with outfits iconic from my life hanging on my walls. Whenever my parents come visit, I tell them it’s a $5 entry fee.”