Hello! My name is Mikayla Smart. I have wanted to work in the healthcare field since I was 3 years old. I graduated from the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha with my bachelor's of science in nursing in 2005. My husband and I were also excitedly expecting out first child at that time.
I chose Saunders Medical Center as my first nursing job because it was close to home, but I had intentions of moving to a bigger hospital within a year. I remain at SMC over eleven years later! I worked at the hospital and emergency department for the first eleven years. I recently took a great opportunity to work in surgery and outpatient services in July 2016.
I feel privileged to work at a rural facility
There are so many reasons I feel privileged to work at a rural facility. My coworkers have become my second family away from home. We share good times and help one another through the bad. Working in a rural facility propels our healthcare team to be diverse in all aspects of medicine, because we see a little of everything. Most of our patients are also from the community, so we get to know them on a personal level. I am consistently told and truly feel patients receive more one-on-one care in a rural facility. I am grateful to participate in SMC events that benefit my community!
I grew up in Wahoo and have always known I wanted to raise my family in a small community. My husband, Seth, and I recently built a house on an acreage near Malmo, NE. We have three children who keep us very active. We enjoy spending time outdoors, coaching a variety of sports and encouraging our children to be respectful and work hard at everything they do.
I look forward to caring for patients each and every day and treating them as if they were my own family!
—Mikayla