Mary Louise Holbcomb, RN, MSN, CPAN, CNS, a Registered Nurse with Baptist Saint Anthony’s Hospital

Get to know Registered Nurse Mary Louise Holbcomb, who serves patients in Amarillo, Texas.

Mary is a registered nurse who specializes in gynecology and medical-surgical nursing. Since September 15th of 1967, she has been working within the Post-Anesthesia Care Unit at Baptist Saint Anthony’s Hospital in Amarillo, Texas.

“I love what I do and I love the job that I do. Nursing isn’t just a profession, it’s a calling. You have to want to do what you do.” she stated. 

Among her various roles, she serves as an Instructor for Advanced Cardiac Life Support, an Instructor for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation, a Certified Post Anesthesia Nurse (CPAN), and as a Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS). 

Initially, Mary wanted to be an airline hostess and met all of the height and weight qualifications; however, the job did not allow for wearing eyeglasses. She had an aptitude for healing injuries for her younger siblings, so her next option for helping others was to become a nurse. 

She entered a three-year nursing program at Henry Heywood Memorial Hospital in Gardner, Massachusetts. Upon graduation in 1963, she entered the Army Nurse Corps as a Private Reserve until she passed her Boards of Nursing in 1965. She then became 2nd Lieutenant Army Nurse Corps and went for basic training at Fort Sam Houston, after which she was assigned to a surgical unit at Fort Ord in California.

She went home on leave for two weeks and was home for three days when she got orders and was reassigned to the 249th Surgical Hospital. She had to clear her post at Fort Ord and was sent to Fort Carson in Colorado to prepare for her new assignment with the 249th Surgical Hospital in Asaka, Japan. She was honorably discharged in 1967, after which she and her husband moved to Amarillo, where she began working at Baptist Saint Anthony’s Hospital. In 1992, she earned her Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree from West Texas A&M University.

Having dedicated over 50 years of service to the nursing profession, Mary attributes her success to her love of helping others, her education, the challenges of the field, as well as always learning, being a leader, and making a difference. What motivates her at the start of each day is hearing her alarm and knowing that she has been blessed with a life to live, and planning her day for personal, professional, home, and family needs. Her heart fills with joy knowing that she can help to ease pain and give encouragement to patients and their families in stressful medical situations. 

A Registered Nurse (RN) is a nurse who has graduated from a nursing program and met the requirements outlined by a country, state, province or similar licensing body to obtain a nursing license. RNs fulfill a variety of job duties. In addition to their primary role in treating and caring for patients, their responsibilities also include educating patients and the public about a variety of medical conditions, as well as providing emotional support and advice to the families of their patients. Other RN job functions include leadership, research, performing diagnostic tests and analyzing results, operating medical equipment, administering medications, recording patients’ symptoms and medical histories, and assisting with patient rehabilitation and follow-up.

Learn More About Mary Louise Holbcomb:

Through her online profile, https://todaysnurse.org/network/index.php?do=/4146113/info/

Karen Johnson

Karen Johnson is an Associate Content manager for FindaTopDoc and responsible for working with distinguished physicians in documenting their significant accomplishments in their field. Karen is a CPR instructor and is a member of her local theater group.