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For Kami Griffin, nursing has always been about more than medicine.
It is about showing up when someone needs help, building relationships and, perhaps most importantly, helping others learn how to care for themselves.
For nearly two decades, Griffin has served the students of the Drew Central School District, where she has made caring for the health and well-being of children the center of her career.
Born in Dermott, Griffin moved to Monticello when she was in the third grade and graduated from Monticello High School in 1992. She went on to attend the University of Arkansas at Monticello, earning a Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 1996.
After graduation, Griffin began her nursing career at Drew Memorial Hospital, where she worked in several departments for five to six years before moving into home health through the hospital.
In the fall of 2007, an opportunity arose at Drew Central School District. With her own children beginning school, Griffin applied for the school nurse position.
She has been there ever since.
While her career has taken her through different areas of health care, Griffin said her desire to become a nurse began at an early age.
“I had asthma as a child and found medicine interesting,” she said.
Griffin also enjoyed math and science and knew UAM had an excellent nursing program, making nursing a natural fit.
Although her own experiences helped guide her toward nursing, Griffin said the values instilled by her parents have influenced the way she approaches both her career and her life.
“I grew up in a Christian environment and my parents were always one of the first to help others,” she said.
Her parents taught her the importance of working hard and doing good with what she had, lessons Griffin has carried with her throughout her career.
She also credits other nurses she has worked alongside over the years for helping shape her into the nurse she is today, as well as her husband for his unwavering support.
In the school setting, Griffin’s work encompasses far more than treating the occasional scraped knee or childhood illness.
Each day comes with a plan, she said, but no two days are necessarily alike.
Her department develops health plans for students, administers immunizations, conducts hearing and vision screenings and performs scoliosis screenings. Griffin and her team also manage medications, respond to emergencies, provide first aid, make referrals for additional health care services and work to ensure students have access to the resources they need.
The department also maintains nine automated external defibrillators on campus, along with two additional AEDs that travel with athletic teams.
Griffin and her department also educate school staff on the use of Narcan in the event of an opioid overdose, providing another layer of preparedness for the school community.
Yet, despite the many responsibilities that come with school nursing, Griffin said the most rewarding part of her job cannot be measured by the number of screenings completed or health plans created.
It is the relationships.
“The relationships with the students are the best part,” she said.
For Griffin, one of the greatest rewards is watching students overcome obstacles and grow into the people they are meant to become.
“It is rewarding to see students thrive regardless of barriers,” she said. “When I see students later in life and how far they have come, it is so rewarding.”
Those relationships can also provide some of the most meaningful reminders of why her work matters.
Griffin said anytime she is able to teach a student how to care for a specific health need, it reinforces the importance of what she does.
For a school nurse, that education can have an impact long after a student leaves the school nurse’s office. Teaching a child how to understand a condition, properly manage medication or recognize when help is needed can give that student confidence and independence.
Griffin hopes more people considering nursing will recognize the many paths available within the profession, including school nursing.
“It is harder than you think it is going to be,” she said. “Everyone has a view that it is just cute scrubs. It is a very rewarding career where you get to help people every day.”
While Griffin has spent much of her professional life caring for other people’s children, she considers raising her own two sons among her greatest accomplishments.
Her sons, Grayson, 26, and Nick, 24, are a source of tremendous pride for their mother.
“Raising my two children to be successful, kind young men,” she said when asked about her biggest accomplishment.
Outside of work, Griffin enjoys spending time with her family, playing golf and doing anything that involves sunshine and water.
But perhaps no place is more important to her than the community she has called home for most of her life.
When asked what she loves about Drew County, her answer was simple.
“Everything! This is my community!”
Griffin said one of the things she treasures most is the opportunity to encounter former and current students in everyday life — whether at Walmart, at church or around town.
She also appreciates the opportunities children have to enjoy the outdoors and become involved in the community.
Most of all, she said, Drew County is a place where people come together when their neighbors need help.
“I love that our children can be involved outdoors and our community steps up when others need prayer, financial assistance or anything you need,” she said.
That spirit of caring is reflected in Griffin’s own life and career.
From her early days at Drew Memorial Hospital to home health and, ultimately, nearly 20 years serving students at Drew Central, Griffin has built a career around helping others.
For the students who have walked through her door over the years, however, her legacy is likely to be measured in something much more personal — the reassurance of a familiar face, the knowledge that someone cared and the lessons that helped them become healthier, more confident adults.
In a community where neighbors still recognize one another at the grocery store and where people come together in times of need, Griffin has found exactly where she belongs.
