Finding a calling can be a journey; preparing for the road ahead is another. Two IU Health Bloomington patient care assistants (PCA)—ShyAnah Bixler and Cody Mowers—are currently on their way to joining the nursing profession.
Cody Mowers, PCA
Mowers’s team members say he is one of the most hardworking and selfless people they’ve ever had the pleasure of working with.
“Never one to shy away from a task,” recounts chief nursing officer of the IU Health South Central Region, Cindy Herrington, DNP, FNP, as she reads off a list of team comments. “He has a way of lightening everyone’s load and does it with a smile. Patients and staff members alike love and adore him, and he is an essential asset to this team.”
“I’ve always appreciated the work nurses do,” says Mowers. “However, it wasn’t until my experiences here are I truly knew I wanted to be a nurse.”
During his time at IU Health Bloomington, he’s found a love for the hands-on patient care and wants to be part of something bigger than himself.
ShyAnah Bixler, PCA
Bixler was originally a home health aide who developed her detailed charting skills with the help of a client’s family member who was a PCA at the legacy Bloomington hospital for many years. Another of the family members encouraged her to go into nursing.
“They gave me the opportunity to investigate nursing and realize I can take a career in nursing anywhere,” she says. “The countless educational opportunities surprise me, and as a person who values lifelong education, that’s truly what drew me in.”
Since joining the IU Health Bloomington team, Bixler has impressed everyone with her detailed charting and drive to get things done.
“She doesn’t sit until all work is accomplished,” says Herrington. “She is an incredible team member and an asset to 5East.”
Developing with Ivy Tech
“I just want to say thank you to everybody—all the faculty, staff, nurses, and especially Cody and ShyAnah,” says Ivy Tech Community College Bloomington Chancellor Erik Coyne. “Hospitals and nursing and this kind of work have always been near and dear to my heart, so I appreciate all you do.”
Coyne was recently at IU Health Bloomington to help celebrate the two PCAs and their recent Ivy Tech Community College Bloomington Scholarship, made possible through the IU Health Foundation, which will help them pursue nursing degrees.
“Ivy Tech Community College Bloomington is a respected leader in the south-central region in the education of nurses,” says Herrington, who led the scholarship representation and also made her start in nursing at Ivy Tech. “The award is meant to serve as an inspiration and reminder to our IU Health caregivers of how valued they are as team members and the importance of higher education and professional development in the nursing field.”
