Heather Frazier, Nurse Practitioner, Emergency Department
It was when her mother was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis that Heather’s career really began, she says. “ Being around the doctors and nurses who were caring for my mom allowed me to see just how meaningful a life like theirs could be, “ she says.
That feeling of living a life rich in meaning hasn’t changed since 1994 when she received her nursing degree. After earning a master’s degree, she worked in family practice before joining the Atrium Wake Forest Baptist team in the emergency department 17 years ago. “It’s a great place to work,” she says. “If there’s a need, we all step in to help. We trust each other and rely on each other100 percent.
“Meeting people at a time when they most need you keeps me humble,”Heather says. “It’s gratifying at the end of each day to know I’ve helped someone.”
Her day doesn’t end when her shift is over. It is then that she volunteers at a local clinic, a role she says is especially rewarding.
Do these many hours of caring for others ever tire her? No, she says. “My faith keeps me going, plus I am careful to practice ‘self-care’ by working out, reading, taking long walks and spending time with my daughter.”
Heather echos what so many others say throughout the hospital: their team is like another family. “I can’t imagine doing anything else,” she says.
