(Pictured from top left) Jacob Herrada, PCT, Neysa Aguilar, PCT, Sarah Herrada, LPN, Ruth Herrada, RN

Chances are you know an Olathe Health associate who has worked here for several years, even decades. They may have even advanced to different levels and/or departments. We’re honored they have chosen Olathe Health as the place to build their careers, and we’d like you to meet some of these accomplished individuals.

The Homegrown series features associates who have shown immense dedication to their own growth, as well as to Olathe Health.

Meet the Herrada family, a close-knit family who all work at Olathe Health. Ruth Herrada, RN, is a nurse on the third floor who has worked at Olathe Medical Center for 13 years. Before becoming an RN, she held positions as a Patient Access Representative and a Patient Care Tech. Her children, Sarah, Neysa and Jacob all work at OMC. Sarah Herrada, LPN, works on the third floor. Neysa Aguilar, PCT, works in the Emergency Care Center, and Jacob Herrada, PCT, works on the fourth floor. They’re proud to say they are Homegrown.

What inspired you to be in the field you are in today?

Ruth: I was in accounting for 10 years. I wanted to go back to school and decided I wanted to be a nurse.

Sarah: My mom and my grandma inspired me. My grandma worked in healthcare until she had a stroke and was unable to anymore. I wanted to be able to help my mom take care of her.

Neysa: My mom inspired me to be in the nursing field. Her hard work and dedication to being a full-time mom and working full time, while going to school at the same time, showed me what a hard worker is, and it made me want to follow in her footsteps.

Jacob: My mom inspired me.

What advice would you give to someone starting in your field of work?

Ruth: Always be a team player. Be ready to learn something new every day from everyone you work with.

Sarah: Always stay positive and keep a smile on your face. Treat people you are taking care of with compassion and respect.

Neysa: It’s a team effort. It’s a fast-paced job so you are on your feet a lot.

Jacob: Pay attention to your duties and your patients. You are taking care of sick people and they are trusting us with their lives.

How has Olathe Health supported you in your career development?

Ruth: I had a lot of support from coworkers when I was in school. The nurses I worked with at that time loved to teach me things and keep me involved in wound care and patient care when I was a PCT.

Sarah: OMC is a good teaching environment. Doctors and nurses are always willing to show and teach me new things.

Neysa: I had a lot of support from my OMC family while in school. The nurses explain things that I will soon learn in nursing school.

Jacob: I am a new CNA and the nurses and other CNAs are very willing to help me.

What is one accomplishment at work you are most proud of and why?

Ruth: I recently became a PACE Level II nurse. That is something I am very proud of.

Sarah: I’m proud of going from a CNA to an LPN.

Neysa: I transferred to the emergency department after working on the fourth floor.

What do you love best about your job?

Ruth: I love it when I know I made a difference in a patient’s life, whether I encouraged them to work with therapy, or I just gave them some words of encouragement.

Sarah: I love the team I work with.

Neysa: I love how hands on and fast paced it is in the ECC. You never know what is going to walk through the door!

Jacob: I love meeting so many different people and working with my mom. We take care of so many people and they all have different stories. I love to listen to the elderly patients and hear about their farming lifestyle and different ways of life.

What do you find most rewarding about working at Olathe Health?

Ruth: I love my coworkers and the unit I’m working on. We have high acuity patients and I can always count on my coworkers to help me out. We definitely work as a team on 3 North.

Sarah: The most rewarding part is being a part of helping people get better.

Neysa: I think it’s rewarding to work with a great team and a growing company.

Jacob: Seeing someone come in sick and then watching them heal and get to go home feeling better, looking better and happier is the most rewarding part.

What hobbies or interests do you have outside of work?

Ruth: Outside of work I like to spend time with my kids and my granddaughter. I love to go to baseball games and go fishing with my husband. I’m also a beginning gardener.

Sarah: I love to read, run, visit my grandma and take trips to the dog park.

Neysa: I love going to the gym and going to the dog park.

Jacob: I like to go fishing in the summer and hunting in the winter.

What is something most people don’t know about you?

Ruth: There’s not much people don’t know about me because I’m an open book. I talk about my home life with my coworkers all the time.

Sarah: I am not as quiet and shy as people think I am when they first meet me.

Neysa: I was a competitive cheerleader for eight years.

Jacob: Most people at work don’t know that I play baseball at MidAmerica Nazarene University.

If you could learn to do anything, what would it be and why?

Ruth: I would like to cross train on different units, like the ECC or watch an open heart surgery. I think seeing and watching new things is interesting.

Sarah: I’d like to be a mechanic so I don’t have to pay anyone to fix my car.

Neysa: I’d like to learn more in-depth about wound care. I’d also like to travel the world!

Jacob: I would like to learn to speak Spanish so I can communicate with Spanish-speaking people.

When you were a kid, what did you want to do when you “grew up”?

Ruth: I just wanted to play sports. It didn’t matter what kind as long as I was outside playing. I didn’t really think about what I wanted to do as an adult.

Sarah: I wanted to become a veterinarian because I love animals.

Neysa: I wanted to do interior design.

Jacob: I wanted to be a professional Bass Fisherman.