The Keystone Health Employee Spotlight for February shines on Joyce Hockensmith
of Keystone Women’s Care!
Joyce has been employed at Keystone for 14 years. She started as a Licensed Practical Nurse at Family Medicine, but moved to Women’s Care after her first year and has been there ever since.
“I like working in OB/GYN,” Joyce said. “People and situations are different every day. I love seeing the new babies and the end result of our job which is keeping mommies happy and healthy.”
During her daily duties, Joyce prepares patients to see their providers, assists with procedures, schedules tests for her patients, gives patients instructions from their doctors, and walks, walks, and walks some more. While she says the halls can get pretty long after a ten hour day, she wouldn’t have it any other way. She knew from an early age that nursing was the right career choice for her.
“I’ve only ever wanted to be a nurse and can’t think of anything else that would make me happy,” she said. “I’ve been a nurse for over 45 years and am looking forward to retirement in a couple of years. Times have changed with nursing over the years, especially with computers; they are my biggest challenge. I’d rather just have the patient and a chart. But I enjoy the environment here and the people I work with, who end up being your family away from home.”
Joyce has resided in Newville since she was 15, and has been married to Richard for 44 years.
“We have three lovely daughters, Ellen, Ann, and Sarah, and five grandchildren to love and brag about,” she said. “I love living in a small town. When you go to the store, you know everybody and it takes you an hour to get groceries because you stop and talk to everyone.”
When she’s not at work, Joyce enjoys reading historical Scottish-Irish romance books, visiting the beach, and she also likes to color.
“Coloring is fun and relaxing, and I enjoy giving them away,” she said. “One of my granddaughters lives in Missouri, and this is one of our ways of keeping in touch. We color pictures for each other. And I enjoy the beach, especially Myrtle Beach. When our husbands won’t go with us, my friend and I stake out our little piece of heaven on earth and people watch. Fun, fun, fun!”
Thank you Joyce, for all that you do for Keystone and our patients!
