Nursing: A tie that binds family together
In many families, professions are passed down through generations. You might find that teachers, preachers or doctors dominate the family line. For the Pray family, nursing is the tie that binds.
For Pam Pray, some of her favorite memories are the stories about how nursing has shaped her family’s past. Her grandmother would share tales with her about working in a tuberculosis hospital on a Native American reservation in New Mexico.
“Those stories were what led me into nursing,” she said. “I stepped right into working in women’s care right out of nursing school.”
Pam Pray, CNM
Pam began her nursing career working in a large healthcare center in the Kansas City area before bringing her midwifery skills to Lawrence OB-GYN Specialists in 2013. When coming to LMH Health, she looked forward to working in a community hospital where she could provide more hands on care and connect with patients.
“You can get lost in a larger health system as both a patient and a provider,” she said. “When you’ve got 20 people to make rounds on and care for versus three to five people, you aren’t able to build those relationships as easily.”
Patients kept a keen eye on the care that Pam provided. And there were a few sets of eyes at home who were also interested in what was going on - Pam’s young children.
There are five Pray siblings – Hannah, Abby, Drake, Marian and Stella – ranging in age from 26 to 12. Drake is forging a different path and pursuing a criminal justice degree at Pittsburg State, but for the girls, there hasn’t ever been a question that they’d follow their mother into nursing. If you look close enough, you might find that more than one of the nurses you interact with shares a unique bond. The three oldest Pray girls are all pursuing careers in women’s care – specifically on the labor and delivery unit at LMH Health.
Jumping in feet first
Hannah was the first to jump into the family business. While attending nursing school at Emporia State University, she completed her capstone classes by working the night shift at LMH Health’s Family Birthing Center.
“Our mom has always worked in women’s health, whether in labor and delivery, in a clinic or as a midwife. She’s advocated for women and making sure they’ve got the healthcare and support they need,” Hannah said. “That was a driving force for me – for all of us – going into specialties with women’s health.”
Abby, Hannah, Pam and Marian Pray![]()
There weren’t any jobs available on the labor and delivery unit when applying for a job prior to graduating, so Hannah accepted a position at LMH Health in the ICU. Before she began, a spot opened in the Family Birthing Center and she jumped at the chance to fill that role instead. Hannah worked nights and settled in, learning her new role and more about pediatrics. After a year, she transitioned to the day shift and learned the ropes in labor and delivery.
The path to working with mothers and babies wasn’t as straightforward for Abby. She knew she wanted to be a nurse but didn’t know what specialty she was headed for, but it definitely wasn’t labor and delivery.
“I wanted to branch out,” Abby said. “My mom and my sister both worked with moms and babies, so that wasn’t where I was headed – at least, not at first.”
Abby had always wanted to work at LMH Health. Not only would she be able to work in the same facility as her mom and be close to home, Abby loved completing her nursing school clinical rotation at LMH. After graduating from Washburn University in December 2019, she started working on 2-North in January 2020 – and then COVID hit.
“I thought I’d get my feet wet and get a good foundation, but COVID happened as I got off orientation and it changed everything,” Abby said. “I floated everywhere and learned all about LMH, met a lot of people and was introduced to a lot of places.”
Abby shared that she got an itch to move into a different specialty, but she wasn’t quite sure what she wanted to do. She interviewed in a couple of departments at the hospital when an opportunity to work in labor and delivery presented itself. Pam and Hannah encouraged Abby to give it a chance and the rest, as they say, is history.
“I fell in love with it. I don’t want to say it’s because of Hannah and my mom,” she laughed, “but I immediately felt comfortable and in being an advocate for women during a very vulnerable time. I get to be a support for people at what’s either a really amazing or an extremely low time in their lives.”
Entering the field
From the time Marian was a little girl, she’d tell people that she wanted to be a nurse when she grew up. Her desire stemmed from watching Pam care for her ailing grandfather.
“When my grandpa was sick, I saw mom provide the nursing care for him. That’s when I knew nursing is what I wanted to do – and also seeing Hannah go through nursing school,” Marian said. “I didn’t know right off the bat that working with moms and babies was what I wanted to do, but I called my mom right after my first clinical and told her it was the right place for me.”
Working close to home is one of the aspects of LMH Health that drew Marian in. When looking for a spot to complete her clinical rotation for nursing school at Emporia State, she asked her mom if it would be possible to come to LMH. Pam put some feelers out and Marian found a spot in the labor and delivery unit.
“I was nervous about starting my rotation, but I knew that I’d have familiar faces around,” Marian said. “It’s nice to have those connections, especially when you’re the little fish in a big pond. Having someone to ask when I had questions, especially family, has been wonderful.”
Childhood memories
When the girls were growing up, there were times that Pam’s career didn’t have all the perks. There were many Friday nights that she was on call and some holidays looked a little different, but the family always found a way to make it work.
“When my mom was on call on Fridays, we knew she wouldn’t be around because she’d be working,” Marian recalled. “It was dad night, so we ate pork chops and mac and cheese and we’d sometimes visit my grandpa.”
Though their normal looked a bit different due to Pam’s schedule, Abby said that nothing about that experience deterred her from following her into nursing.
“I don’t think it ever came into my mind as something that would put me off nursing,” she explained. “Mom may have missed soccer or volleyball games, maybe some birthdays, but we always made it work. We just had to be flexible and make things happen as they came.”
Pam remembered one Christmas that looked a little different than usual so that she and her husband could ensure that the family spent the holiday together.
“I missed out on some stuff with the kids, holidays when I was on call. One year, Rick loaded up all the Christmas presents and took them to my folks’ house. He made sure that I was able to watch the kids open all of their presents,” Pam shared.
Why LMH Health?
If you ask any of the Prays why they choose to work at LMH Health, it all comes back to one theme – working in a close-knit community that feels like family.
“I worked in a lot of places as a nursing student, but I came back to Lawrence,” Abby said. “You know everyone and you feel like you’re at home. It’s the community that made me want to work at LMH. It’s amazing.”
Marian said the care that staff provides to the community is one of the things that drew her to the health system.
“You’re going to have both good and bad days at any job but no matter the type of day, I’ve seen Hannah, Abby and my mom come home and speak so highly of the hospital and the care they’ve been able to provide,” she said. “That’s something that I wanted to be a part of too.”
Having the ability to care for people you know has been an experience that you sometimes can’t put into words, especially when it comes to family. Pam’s brother, Ryan, and his partner, recently delivered their child at LMH Health and it was a family affair.
“It was amazing to have them here for the delivery. I was able to assist the C-section and Marian was in the operating room as a student that day,” Pam shared. “Erin appreciated that Abby was in the nursery and would take care of the baby. You give exceptional care when you have an exceptional team, and we were able to provide that.
“As a provider and a mother, I’m proud to work for LMH Health, but it says a lot that I’ve recruited my own kids to so the same thing,” Pam said. “I feel strongly about the care we give the community. I’m confident they feel the same way I do and want to be part of this.”
