Hailey Heseltine
news@greenepublishing.com
Beth Fulford, local to Jefferson County, near Greenville, has been serving her community in healthcare for 31 years. According to her, healthcare has always been a field she wanted to pursue.
“My brother had leukemia when I was in the sixth grade, and there was a wonderful nurse named Edy, and I'll never forget her...she was kind to me, and she made a real difference in my life,” Fulford says.
Thus, the Madison native began her own healthcare journey after graduating from Aucilla Christian Academy in 1988. She began attending Asbury University in Kentucky to become a nurse practitioner, but she later transferred to Valdosta State University and completed her degree there in 1992. Years later, she decided to further her education by getting her Master's Degree at Florida State University, which she earned in 2005. She then became a family practitioner. Currently, she is Senior Medical Officer at Honey Lake Clinic, a Christ-centered institution with a focus on mental health and substance addiction.
Of course, the healthcare field brings unique challenges. Electronic medical records, balancing fiscal responsibility versus advocating for patient needs, and finding time for patients while keeping up with documentation have been particular struggles.
“Time management skills are important. Sometimes you have to prioritize and downsize and have a team around you to help you out,” Fulford explains.
Even so, the technical struggles she faces never outweigh the joy of her favorite part of being a medical practitioner – the patients. Fulford has true compassion for those under her care and is as much of an aid to them emotionally as she is physically.
“Genuinely thinking you've helped someone at the end of the day...I love that,” said Fulford.
Her loving concern for others is evident through her kind nature and determination to pursue such a difficult field, all for the benefit of those around her.
Though such a challenging career often brings a conflict between family and work, that is not the case for Fulford. She is grateful to work alongside her three children, Jacob, Aaron, and Katie, who are also employed at Honey Lake Clinic.
“I got to combine the two things I love the most!” she says. “Like today, we got to have lunch together, and we got to have a family dinner at the same time. I guess that really is how I overcome my challenges.”
Fulford also has grandkids, who she calls “the coolest,” as well as three pets she's rescued over the years. For her, working as a medical officer is just another way of sharing that abundant love with her community.
Despite the difficulties, Fulford gives her all to her work with genuine passion and care for her job, her family, and her community – “I’m just grateful that thirty plus years later, I still love it,” said Fulford.