Giving and Receiving Hope
Employee Spotlight | Kate Anderson
Kate Anderson joined Open Door Health Services in February 2024 as the Director of Clinical Training and Education. In this role, she oversees the onboarding and skills development of nurses, medical assistants, and other clinical staff to deliver excellent patient care. Her colleagues describe her as a standout leader and champion. She takes time to invest in each team member’s success and create an environment where new and existing staff feel connected and valued. For her efforts this year, Kate was recognized with Open Door’s 2024 “Overall Mission, Vision, and Values Player of the Year” award.
Although Kate is fairly new as an employee, her life path first brought her to Open Door nearly 15 years ago. At that time, she was a 21-year-old nursing student and had just discovered she was five and a half months pregnant. She also was in major denial, feeling guilt, shame, and fear. It looked like she would have to drop out of her nursing program. Some wanted her to pursue adoption, but she wanted to keep her baby. She described herself as “hopeless, lonely, and in absolute crisis mode.”
That’s when she connected with Women, Infants and Children (WIC) at Open Door. The women in the WIC office gave her a glimmer of hope. They showed her kindness and helped her get formula, milk, and food. They taught her about caring for a baby of her own and encouraged her without prying into all the details of her story. It was the first time Kate felt supported and not judged.
Today, Kate’s son is 15 years old and thriving. Kate finished nursing school only a semester behind while being a new mom and working two jobs. After graduation, she worked in multiple roles at IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital, including as charge nurse in cardiac care and a member of the rapid response team. She jumped at opportunities to work on projects with other departments, which led to an invitation to become the emergency department’s clinical operations manager. She held that role for almost eight years. She supplemented her Ball Memorial employment working for a travel nurse agency and serving as a clinic nurse for the Erskine Green Training Institute in Downtown Muncie.
Open Door skills lab
At Open Door, Kate hit the ground running to revamp the onboarding and training process for new clinical staff, making sure they have the skills and support they need. She is the first director of Open Door’s skills lab where nurses, medical assistants, and other clinical staff complete hands-on training to keep their knowledge and abilities up to date. She also leads a team of medical assistant and nurse mentors, called preceptors, who serve as clinical experts and leaders in their departments. This fall, she hopes to continue her career path by returning to Ball State as a graduate student.
Open Door preceptor team
Kate is committed to sharing her personal and professional experiences with others. “I’ve walked in shoes I never thought I’d be in. Don’t ever let anyone make you think you can’t accomplish your goals. You are worth fighting for,” said Kate. “And I can tell you from my experience – you may be the only glimmer of hope a person has. Don’t underestimate the impact of how you treat people every day. When you make the effort to care for people where they are in life, it makes a huge difference. It made a huge difference in MY life.”