Paul Lindsay, Nursing Student: It Takes a Village
Heppner, Oregon
To Paul Lindsay, a good time is “sitting on the tractor all day, just driving around in circles, listening to music and podcasts.” Growing up just outside of Heppner, Oregon meant that most of his time was spent with his six siblings on their family farm. They had a feedlot, raising cattle and growing alfalfa, corn, and wheat.
Heppner has healthcare services that support a large area. Their hospital, Pioneer Memorial, is the smallest in the state, and it serves an irreplaceable role.
“I think of it as a Band-Aid station. I see Life Flight come in all the time. They stabilize the patient and then get them to the nearest hospital.”
Without this crucial service, there would be a large section of the state without emergency care. But it’s not just emergency care that is important.
Investing in preventative and routine care is essential to creating a healthy community in Heppner. Their health system offers everything from family medicine to immunizations and routine screenings, helping those who live in and around Heppner maintain their health without traveling hours for care.
The nearest town with comparable services is Hermiston, an hour away. In the other direction, John Day is three hours away and similar in size. Even a trip to Hermiston can take half a day — time many people either can’t easily spare or simply don’t want to.
“I think that if like the hospital did shut down, I think a lot of people would either move or just go without [healthcare].”
A Community that Invests
Paul loved growing up in a small town and felt deeply supported by his community as he went through school. Teachers and staff in Heppner’s small schools are uniquely positioned to guide students toward careers that students are interested in and that will benefit their community.
“The education we got at Heppner High School was very personally tailored to each one of us.”
His decision to go to nursing school began with health and career classes with Petra Payne, a longtime supporter of NEOAHEC. Paul found healthcare exciting and was amazed by the number of career options. He already had some exposure through family members who own a pharmacy, work in oncology, but he hadn’t yet realized how many paths existed.
Opening the Door to Nursing
His school advisor encouraged him to attend MedQuest. Though he was hesitant at first, she knew his family and was confident he would have a great experience. He is thrilled that he went because it got him where he is today.
During camp, he made the decision to pursue nursing. He didn’t know about the OHSU School of Nursing in La Grande until the MedQuest tour, but once he saw the simulation lab, he was hooked. He was fascinated by the high-fidelity manikins owned by NEOAHEC and eager to learn more.
“The more I knew, the more I was like, this is what I want to do.”
A job shadow in the Intensive Care Unit at Grande Ronde Hospital solidified his trajectory.
Familiar Faces
Even though Heppner only has about a thousand people, Paul is still surrounded by familiar faces in La Grande.
Some former classmates attend Eastern Oregon University. A friend he met at MedQuest is now in his nursing class, and a peer from Heppner is a few years ahead in the program. His sister attended an MQ Day Camp event with NEOAHEC on campus. During clinical rotations in La Grande, he even job-shadowed an EMT from Heppner.
As the oldest sibling, he sees himself as a sort of third parent. He helped raise his siblings, especially the youngest
ones, and now two of them are interested in nursing school, following in his footsteps. Their mother once enrolled in the nursing program at Blue Mountain Community College, but a car accident changed her path. She doesn’t regret becoming a crop insurance adjuster, but Paul is proud to be taking on her dreams and is excited to see his siblings do the same.
“I feel like I'm the trailblazer, but they're gonna do it better.”
Looking Ahead
Because MedQuest played such an important role in his journey — and because rural healthcare matters deeply to him — Paul has joined the NEOAHEC Board of Directors as the Student Board Member. In this role, he represents the interests of local students and is excited to help others access opportunities like the ones he had.
When Paul begins his Junior year of Nursing School, he will once again learn from the simulation manikins from MedQuest. He will also receive Mental Health First Aid training from NEOAHEC and be reimbursed for travel expenses during his clinical rotations. This support is a pilot program funded by Roundhouse Foundation and private donations, designed to assist eastern Oregon nursing students who are disproportionately affected by their rural location.
After graduating, Paul isn’t sure where he will go next. He may go back home to Heppner, but he’s open to seeing where life takes him. He’s interested in exploring being a flight nurse, but is also considering oncology nursing or becoming a nurse anesthetist.
Regardless, he’s thankful to his hometown for looking out for him and helping him navigate the path into healthcare.
