For National Nurses Month 2023, we recognize our amazing charge nurse, Kathy Nicholas, who has been a dedicated staff member at Morningside at the Manor for the last seven years caring for our assisted living residents. Although she previously held a different career working in the printing industry, Kathy has always wanted to be a nurse. She started nursing school at the age of 30 after working for a printer for several years in Indiana. While raising two boys with her husband, she attended Ivy Tech in Galen, Indiana to study nursing and also worked as a CNA for seven years.
At first, Kathy wanted to pursue pediatrics, but in her nursing rotations, she found a connection with her geriatric patients and decided that her future lay in geriatric medicine. Her first nursing job was with Cypress Grove Rehabilitation in Indiana working with seniors in rehabilitation, memory care, long-term care, hospice care, and outpatient therapy. Kathy says the elderly population is often overlooked, which is unfortunate as her patients are filled with life experience and give the best marital advice. In 2008, her family moved to San Antonio, and she found work as a Care Plan Coordinator with a mom-and-pop business in Stone Oak. Seven years later, she became the Administrator and Director of Nursing (DON) at Morningside at the Manor. She has been DON at the Manor for the last six years and was previously a floor nurse on Unit 3.
Kathy loves Morningside’s core values which she says carries over to the care of residents. According to Kathy, everybody deserves respect and love, and Morningside holistically takes care of each resident as a whole person to create the best outcome for each patient. Having a positive outlook and the best outcomes in mind for patients is important, as she is seeing more residents with medical needs.
Kathy says, “At Morningside residents come first, and the culture at Morningside is very nurturing. Everybody asks how you are doing. Morningside wants you to be here!”
Outside of Morningside, Kathy enjoys spending time with her family including her husband, two daughters (the oldest of whom is also a nurse), two sons, and six grandkids. She also enjoys spending time with her two pugs, Tater Tot and Vader, and nine cats, most of whom are named after breakfast foods (Oatmeal, Malt-O-Meal, Grits, Porridge, Biscuit, Sunny Side Up, Pancake, Horchata, and Pickle). Kathy says her cats are a live stress ball for her in relaxing!
