Answering the call | Team member works for 51 of the 75 years of Tidelands Health
For five decades, Mona Floyd has answered the call at Tidelands Health.
It’s the call to serve her teammates, patients, health system and community – figuratively and literally – with a deep passion to help others and make a difference. She’s worked at the not-for-profit health system for the last 51 years, celebrating the milestone this week.
As the longest-serving active member of Team Tidelands, Floyd has earned her reputation as the go-to for historical knowledge, interesting anecdotes and help with everything from logging into the educational platform to providing a spare shoe for a nurse in a jam. That’s in addition to her defined duties as administrative assistant for organizational development.
“People just call this office all the time, and it may not have anything to do with organizational development,” said Sharon Parrott, nursing professional development practitioner, who has worked with Floyd since 1998. “They just know that Mona has been here forever and has their back and will go above and beyond to help them get the resources they need.”
Floyd’s kindness radiates throughout Team Tidelands. She remembers not only her team members’ birthdays but, often, their kids’ special days, too. She’s known for her homemade carrot cakes to celebrate special occasions, as well as her handwritten notes making others feel special and appreciated. If it’s a big holiday, her colleagues receive small tokens specially picked for them.
“That’s above and beyond. Who else does that?” Parrott said.
‘A fun place to work’
Floyd’s career started when she was 18 years old, a new graduate of Horry-Georgetown Technical College’s secretarial science program. She applied at the Georgetown County hospital, inspired by the skill and positive attitudes of the nurses and team members who cared for Floyd’s grandmother.
“They were working so hard and having fun,” Floyd recalled. “I thought, ‘This would be a fun place to work.’”
Floyd didn’t hesitate when a hospital official showed up at her house after reviewing her application to offer her a job as nursing secretary at the hospital, where Floyd and, later, her children and grandchildren were born.
“I went from the nursery to the nursing office,” Floyd said.
When she started at the health system, she used a manual typewriter to document all nursing policies. She remembers when the first computer arrived. After four years, she was promoted to nursing staff coordinator and then transferred to staff development/special services in 1987. Since 2008, she’s served as administrative assistant for organizational development.
“You think 50 years – she’s seen a lot and done a lot,” said Thais Thomas, senior director of organizational development. “She has been able to adapt and adjust.”
Our history
Given her long tenure with the organization, Floyd serves as a kind of unofficial encyclopedia, Wikipedia page and scrapbook of the health system. She’s been part of the team as the small, community hospital grew into the region’s largest health system with two acute care hospitals, two rehabilitation hospitals and more than 70 medical office locations. Tidelands Health is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year.
Floyd vividly remembers when the Parrish wing was built at Tidelands Georgetown Memorial Hospital – each pound of the pilings nearly bouncing her out of her office chair.
She was responsible for organizing the initial inspection files for the 1993 survey by The Joint Commission and manually entered all employee partners into the first electronic education tracking system. Decades ago, she trained and was responsible for all audio-visual equipment, serving as the go-to resource for those services. She has also provided administrative support for community health events including health fairs and safe sitter classes.
“We lean on her for a lot around here,” Thomas said.
Mona takes the “other duties as assigned” line in her job description seriously, though she usually doesn’t wait for the assignment. She steps up in a variety of ways, from encouraging team member engagement to helping launch new initiatives to setting up rooms for special events.
“And she is a champion for the people here – everyone who works for this organization,” Thomas said. “She never refuses to help. She always says, ‘OK, I’ll be right there.’ And she comes with a smile.”
‘Good bosses, good people’
As she reminisces on the years, Floyd rattles off names representing a who’s who of former leaders, nurses and others who have worked and made an impact at the health system, through the many good times and challenges. She’s weathered a tornado, storms including the destructive Hurricane Hugo in 1989 and even several now-hilarious run-ins with critters including an alligator, owl and raccoon outside her longtime former office near the marsh on the Tidelands Georgetown campus.
The thought of leaving the health system may have crossed her mind once or twice over the decades, but it was always fleeting. She always knew she was in the right place, surrounded by the right people, who have become her extended family.
“I have always enjoyed being here,” Floyd said. “Good bosses, good people. You’ve got to like who you work with because you are with them more than you are with your family.”
Several of her co-workers are actual blood relatives. Shortly after Floyd joined the health system, she recruited her sister, Wanda Walker, a registered nurse who has been with the health system more than 45 years. One of Floyd’s two daughters, Erica Ulman, also followed in her mother’s footsteps, joining Tidelands Health 15 years ago and currently serving as a medical coding supervisor.
“When you think about it, the three of us have a combined 100 years-plus being part of the Tidelands Health family,” Ulman said. “I grew up in that hospital when Mom worked there. It’s just part of my DNA to be part of this team.
“[Floyd] is just such a part of Tidelands Health. It has been her life for 50 years. Obviously, Tidelands Health has done something right keeping folks here, especially for 50 years.”
