When Amber Steele was in college, she worked on the side at Oaktree Assisted Living. “I absolutely fell in love with the geriatric population,” she said. “They have so many stories, so much wisdom, and I just fell in love.”
Now the assistant director of nursing at Lone Star Rehab in Stephenville, Steele enjoys a fulfilling career Steele graduated from Dublin High School in 2009, and went to Cisco College to play softball. She started out taking pre-requisites for dental hygiene, but her job at Oaktree Assisted Living pushed her towards nursing, so she switched.
After finishing her associates degree, Steele went to nursing school at Ranger College, graduating with her LVN in 2012. Right out of school she began working at Lone Star Rehab, a care facility that offers rehabilitation, long-term care, and total wellness services.
She started out as a charge nurse, and in 2014 moved up to become the assistant director of nursing. “Basically, I’m in charge of staffing, infection control, chart audits, just making sure things get followed up on, communicating with physicians, order entry, supply orders,” she said. “I wear many hats.”
Although she works in a management role, Steele still gets to spend time with the patients. “My favorite part of [my job] is just talking to the residents and getting to spend time with them and learning their backstory,” she said. “We’ve had people that were stay-at-home moms, and we’ve also had people that worked at NASA or that were physicians, and it’s just really cool to get to know the whole life story of the patients.”
Last year she earned her RN certificate, and in the future she hopes to continue moving up in the company. “They take really good care of us,” she said. “Eventually I would like to follow in the footsteps of my mentor, who I absolutely adore, and become the director of nurses.”
Steele and her husband Tyler Steele live in Stephenville. Steele has two children, Audrey, 12 and Jaxon, 3, and most of her free time is spent with them. “My daughter is a sports fiend,” she said. “She is currently playing club volleyball.”
Steele also enjoys volunteering for the charity Meals on Wheels. “I do their amazing race every year and help with fundraising,” she said.
Steele’s mother, Dee Lewis, still lives in Dublin, and her father, Curtis Lewis, lives in Athens.
Throughout her life, Steele has found inspiration in her children. “I had my daughter when I was kind of young,” she said. “I was 22 when I had her. I was already a nurse, but she completely changed my entire mindset of what the meaning of life is. It’s not all about just going out and having a good time with friends — it’s building the next generation and just investing into that.”
Steele’s advice to Dublin graduates is to cultivate a strong sense of self. “Ignore the naysayers,” she said. “Even when people tell you you can’t, believe in yourself enough to know that you can.”
— Where Are They Now chronicles what Dublin graduates have done since high school. If you have any suggestions for other grads, email publisher@dublincitizen.com.