Nurse Brightens Children’s of Alabama

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Posted on August 19, 2021

Thomas Becnel

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#MyFirstJob is a series focused on University of South Alabama graduates who are beginning their careers.

With one of her first paychecks from Children’s of Alabama, Mollie Wade splurged on the brightest pair of Nike Air Max sneakers she could find.

 “I thought, why not get something cheerful for the kids?” she said. “They love colorful things.”

Nurses at her Birmingham hospital are encouraged to wear scrubs and T-shirts in bold colors.

“When I was hired, they told me the brighter the better,” she said. “So I wear everything from royal blue to neon pink.”

Wade, 22, earned her nursing degree from the University of South Alabama, where she was a member of the Honors College and served as president of the Kappa Delta sorority. She got her first hospital job just after graduation this spring.

At Children’s of Alabama, she works in the cardiac care unit. Specialty care requires particular knowledge and distinct skills. She’s learning a lot. 

“The specifics of my unit, and what we deal with on a daily basis, nothing can prepare you for the actual job you’re going to do,” she said.

Wade attended Oak Mountain High School, south of Birmingham, where she was a member of the volleyball team and a show choir called the Oak Mountain Singers.

In the classroom, she was a determined student. “Very hard on myself,” she said, laughing. She still remembers the two classes in which she didn’t earn A’s — Honors Chemistry and Honors Pre-Calculus.

Originally, Wade thought she might study marine science in college. During high school, she toured different universities. South made the best first impression.

“I liked the atmosphere and the people that I met,” she said. “I liked the old feel of campus, even though there were new buildings.”

Nursing Classes and Research

At South, Wade joined Campus Outreach, the evangelical Christian organization. There was a summer program on sharing faith where she worked at a Wal-Mart in Panama City, Florida.

“I was a cashier and I actually kind of loved it,” she said. “It was therapeutic to do the scanning and meet people.”

With Kappa Delta, Wade enjoyed Greek life in Mobile. She led her pledge class, became an officer and wound up serving as sorority president.

“When I start things, I like to get super-involved,” she said. “It ended up being like a full-time job.”

As an Honors College student, Wade was required to write a graduate thesis. She looked into research projects in the College of Nursing.

“I was paired with Dr. Candice Selwin,” she said. “Our research was on the effects of dating violence on healthcare utilization.”

Wade said Debra Swanzy, an associate professor at South, was a role model and “Southern Momma” during her nursing education. Wade participated in a nursing co-op one summer and worked at USA Health University Hospital.

A summer semester in pediatric medicine confirmed her belief that she was most interested in working with children. After graduation, she passed her nursing certification exams and interviewed at her first choice — Children’s of Alabama in downtown Birmingham.

She commutes from Oak Mountain, where she grew up. Punctuality is a family trait. She was raised with the belief that early was on time and on time was late.

At Children’s, Wade went through weeks of orientation and finding her way in the cardiac care unit. Like so many nurses, she’s starting her career on the night shift — 7 p.m. to 7 a.m.

In her colorful sneakers and bold scrubs, she looks on the bright side. 

“I think I’ve always been a night owl,” Wade said. “It’s kind of my place.”

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