TUPELO—Mantachie resident and registered nurse Jan Starling cannot recall a time, even in early childhood, when she didn't think about becoming a nurse.

 

As a young girl, she was fascinated listening to her mother, Janice Buchanan, talk about working in the dialysis unit at North Mississippi Medical Center (NMMC) in Tupelo. It seemed natural to study nursing at Northeast Mississippi Community College after graduating from high school in 1988. A week after earning an associate's degree in 1991, she joined the hospital's cardiac step-down unit.

 

In mid-June, Starling, her husband, Joe, children Bradley and Sallie, and mom traveled to Washington, DC, where the American Nurses Association (ANA) honored her with the prestigious 2010 ANA Honorary Nursing Practice Award during the ANA House of Delegates. Starling is the first Mississippian honored with the award, which was established in 1974 to recognize registered nurses involved in direct patient care who have contributed to the advancement of nursing practice by exhibiting strength of character, commitment and competence. Starling is only the second Mississippian recognized by ANA for national recognition.

 

"It's such an honor," said Starling, cardio-pulmonary outcomes case manager for NMMC Home Health and Hospice, where she has spent all but two years of 19 years with the healthcare system. "I feel like I've cheated a little bit because working in home care, patients become a bit like extended family. That environment allows us to bond quicker and maintain relationships longer because of the nature of the practice."

 

Starling was selected in part for her participation in community and organizational affairs, demonstration of an ability to work with others, and an innovative outlook to providing healthcare. The nomination packet NMMC presented to ANA on Starling's behalf included several patient testimonials.

 

A patient's daughter wrote: It's a comfort that you have your finger on the heart of the situation. Dad's health has not been better than it has been since you have been caring for him and I must give the credit to you, all of your excellent care, attention to detail, and hard work! You are one of the highlights of their week. The rest of us are just the sprinkles on the cake of life!

"I've become very close to my patients and their families, and they've been very good to me," said Starling. "That really came to light in 2000, when I lost a baby (boy at 17 weeks). I came back to work a week or so later, and the first home I went into, the man didn't say anything at first, he just opened his arms to hug me. I was so overwhelmed; I just lost it for a moment. He said, 'now, we've talked about it as a community, and we won't bring it up again because we realize you may not want to talk about it, but we're here for you." 

 

Two years later, Starling gave birth to a daughter, Sallie, now 7, a third grader. Bradley, 17, is a high school senior. With her father, Dewey Petigo, living in Columbus, and her mother residing in New Albany, and her younger sister, Misty, a stay-at-home mom, living nearby, the family stays in constant contact.

 

In August, Starling will graduate from the Mississippi University for Women with a bachelor's degree in nursing, and plans to pursue a master's degree in nursing soon after, with the goal of becoming a nurse practitioner for heart failure disease management. "When I first started in the cardiac step-down unit, I fell in love with heart failure patients," said Starling.

 

She's toyed with the idea of attending medical school. "If I had the resources and time," she said, "I might look into it."

 

Starling is vocal in nurse leadership issues at NMMC, which celebrated a year of nursing shared governance in June. She sits on the evidence-based practice council, which among other accomplishments addressed a noise issue and piloted a quiet time project as a result of feedback on patient satisfaction surveys. The project incorporated a Rest Promotes Healing campaign for a designated time of the day and night, which has been embraced by patients, staff and physicians, said Shannon Fryery, director of nursing leadership for NMMC.

 

Adapting to constant changes in government regulations concerning home care has been challenging, Starling noted, particularly when the Balanced Budget Act was implemented under President Bill Clinton in 1997. "The regulatory changes to home health were sweeping," said Starling. "Many home care companies that weren't hospital-based went under as a result of changes. Because of those changes, half of our patients were discharged in one fell swoop. Because we're hospital-based, we were able to get back on our feet."

 

One negative aspect of home care that Starling said she's fortunate not to worry about in North Mississippi: dangerous situations. Home care has a higher than average incident rate of violence.

 

"North Mississippi has very few unsafe areas," she said. "Our hospital administrators are very supportive when we do express concerns. We're really fortunate here. It's easier to devote our full attention to our patients."

 

In Starling's honor, the Mississippi Nurses Association made a donation to the Mississippi Nurses Foundation to purchase a brick to be inscribed and placed in the Mary E. Stainton Honors Garden located at the Mississippi Center for Nursing in Madison.