By Emmi Thompson, Staff Writer
Nurse Molly has been a beloved employee, caretaker, and friend to Ouachita for nearly thirty years. She started her career at Ouachita in 1995 and has loved every minute of her time here. Nurse Molly has tons of rich Arkadelphia and Ouachita history. She is an Arkadelphia native, attending school here with all of her brothers and sisters, later followed by her four children. Her father, Bill Vining, was a coach and teacher and had the Vining Arena placed in his name.
She enjoys helping students who are away from home for the first time. “I love the interaction with the students,” Nurse Molly stated, “I like to be that sort of go between, or bridge.” Not only does Nurse Molly enjoy treating students, she also finds great value in teaching. She doesn’t just treats illnesses, she tries to help the whole individual. She strives to make a difference in student’s lives and help them with any problem they may face and loves to build a relationship with each student that steps into her office.
Nurse Molly has worked in both a college and hospital setting. She worked at Arkansas Children’s Hospital before working at a college. Her aunt was the previous Ouachtia nurse, and once she decided to retire, she mentioned the job position to Nurse Molly. Her husband was in a traveling position for his job, her parents lived here, and she was pregnant and raising children at the time. The opportunity was perfect, so she took the Ouachita nursing position.
“In a hospital setting, you don’t always get to know your patients,” Nurse Molly replied. She did work in a clinic setting, so she mostly got to know her patients, but that is not always the case in a nursing position. The college clinic can be very busy, possibly even as busy as a regular doctor’s clinic.
With her job, there is always going to be demands, even when she is outside of the office. There have been times when she has been called into the dorms at night, in the afternoon or early morning. Every time, she shows up and does what she can to help the students.
“One night, it was about ten o’clock. I was watching TV and I live close by campus. I heard something on my porch, and there were about five students there. A student had hurt themselves, and so they were coming to see if I could help them. I was ready for bed and they were there at my doorstep. I did what I could, but it was something I couldn’t take care of then. So, they went on to the emergency room,” Nurse Molly said, “I couldn’t even estimate how many times something like this has happened.”
Nurse Molly is concluding her journey at Ouachita at the end of the year. Regardless, the services, love, kindness and motivation that she provided to the Ouachita family will never be forgotten.
“It’s just one of those things, I feel like that was God’s plan for me. I’m listening to what He wants me to do next.”
Retiring can bring on some anxieties, but she is excited to spend more time with her granddaughter and her dad who lives in Little Rock. Though she will miss the students, she looks forward to participating in more volunteer work. Nurse Molly also loves traveling, nature, hiking, reading, and trying new hobbies. Nurse Molly will miss Ouachita deeply, but she is looking forward to the new chapter God has planned for her.
