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Working in the medical field is not just a job .
“ It ’ s a calling ,” said Korene Christianson , Emergency Department Director for Northwest Medical Center in Springdale . “ It ’ s a lot more than an 8 to 5 job .”
“ It ’ s a type of public service ,” said Brett Dawes , Emergency Department Technician . “ It ’ s a hands-on job working with people .”
Northwest Medical Center in Springdale is one of four hospitals in the Northwest Health network . Other hospitals include Northwest Medical Center in Bentonville , Northwest Health Physician ’ s Specialty Hospital in Fayetteville and Willow Creek Women ’ s Hospital in Johnson .
The four hospitals , along with 40 clinics , employ about 2,000 people . There are numerous types of employees , from doctors and nurses to custodians and food servers . All employees work to reach the same goal : help make people healthier .
Those who work directly with patients are sometimes the hardest jobs to fill . Northwest is always looking for nurses . The hospital tries to grow its own , encouraging workers to continue their education while working to become a registered nurse .
Daniel Burson and Brett Dawes are emergency department technicians who plan to become ER nurses .
“ There are a variety of jobs for nurses ,” Burson said . “ Personally , I love emergency room work .”
“ I ’ d like to stay with emergency nursing ,” Dawes said . “ I love the work .”
The emergency room is the romantic part of health care , Christianson said .
“ There ’ s a lot of adrenaline ,” she explained . “ You never know what will come in the door . For many people , you are trying to help them on the worst day of their life . You need to have the skills to make it better .”
Burson learned CPR while serving as a volunteer firefighter and started taking emergency medical technician classes .