Perseverance and determination helped Kathy Summers, BSN, RN, cope with discrimination and overcome a learning disability. Now, she’s living her best life.
Before she became a nurse, Kathy, who works in the Post-Anesthesia Care Unit, combatted prejudice and discrimination for 17 years as a female pipe fitter in a male-dominated industry. A pipe fitter works on industrial heating and cooling systems.
Nursing was always Kathy’s first career choice until funding for her student loans stopped. At 19, she changed direction and enrolled in college to study heating and cooling since her family worked in the field.
When she graduated at 20 with an associate’s degree from Southeast Community College in Milford, NE, she was the first woman to complete the heating and cooling program in the school’s 36-year history.
She started her job search with a less than welcoming response. “I asked for an application at one company and was told they weren’t hiring for secretaries,” Kathy remembered. “I mentioned I was applying for the technician position. They never called me.”
To make ends meet, Kathy worked as a CNA in a Savannah, MO, nursing home. An employee connected her with Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 45. After a four-month application and interview process, they accepted her. That led to a five-year pipe fitter apprentice program and designation as a journeywoman pipe fitter.
Amber (in back) helped Kathy study for nursing school after a brain injury affected her memorization ability.
Kathy worked for three different companies where she constantly had to prove herself to customers, coworkers and union members. She recalled arriving at a St. Joseph, MO, country club to fix the air conditioner. The customer called Kathy’s employer requesting a different technician. “My boss told him to call another company if he didn’t want me working on his equipment. He decided to give me a chance and liked my work so well he never wanted anyone else,” Kathy laughed.
Another time a male coworker complained when Kathy needed his assistance. Ironically, the tables turned, and he needed her help. Today they remain friends.
Other times, Kathy never got the opportunity to prove herself. At a plant in St. Joseph, traveling iron workers spit on her head and pulled her hair. They were fired. “Looking back, I was ahead of my time. Those things wouldn’t happen today, or the companies would be sued,” Kathy said. “Sometimes I went home crying and wanted to quit, but, as a single parent, I had to go back to pay my bills.”
Sammi (left) also assisted Kathy with the nursing curriculum when Kathy attended Missouri Western State University.
Kathy’s sons, Matrix, 19, and Aspen, 14, learned how to persevere and overcome challenges from their mom’s experiences. “I taught them not to let people push them around. The world isn’t always easy, and sometimes you have to fight for what you believe,” said Kathy, tearfully.
That toughness helped her cope when she suffered a nontraumatic brain injury after her and Aspen’s heads accidentally collided in 2014. By this time, the recession had caused massive layoffs and Kathy no longer worked as a pipe fitter. She had returned to college to become a nurse.
During nursing school, the injury caused short-term memory loss, which meant relearning everything. Most of learning is memorization, so Kathy watched taped school lectures over and over. She worked as a clinical associate at NKCH while attending nursing school. Telemetry Float Sammi Puett, BSN, RN, and Critical Care Float Amber Rider, BSN, RN, ENPC, helped her learn the nursing curriculum. With support and determination, Kathy graduated from nursing school and passed her nursing boards. “I remember Matrix wrapping his arms around me at my nursing graduation and saying, ‘We did it,’” said Kathy, smiling.
Today, Kathy is living her best life which includes her husband, Blane, a pipe fitter, whom she married in February. She has received three DAISY Award nominations for excellent nursing care and feels blessed to have a stable job and home.
