As we looked around White Mountain Regional Medical Center recently, we noticed a pattern: many of our most skilled team members didn't arrive here with those titles. They grew into them. This series, "Growing Our Own," highlights these stories. Steven Vickers' journey from volunteer firefighter to Certified OR Tech is a perfect testament to what is possible when that purpose meets opportunity.

Open Doors

Steven didn't always know he wanted to be in the medical field. In fact, his original plan was to join an automotive program in high school. When he showed up late and found the class full, the only other program available was firefighting. He took the opportunity and quickly discovered a natural calling.

This pivot established a theme that has defined Steven's life and career: walking through doors that seem to have been taken off their hinges, requiring no knocking.

In 2008, Steven joined the Eagar Fire Department as a volunteer firefighter. He was later recruited as a full-time firefighter by the Greer Fire Department, where he served for 10 years while also working part-time for surrounding agencies. Earning his EMT certification in 2012 was a requirement for the job, but it unexpectedly introduced him to the medical side of emergency response. He learned to love the medicine, and it soon became his true passion.

His first real exposure to the inside of a hospital came during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Exemplary in his firefighting role, Steven was selected to help facilitate a departmental collaboration with WMRMC. He organized a decontamination area and system to prepare for surges, ensuring firefighters were ready to assist nurses if needed. That experience planted a seed.

As the physical toll of working outside in the elements grew heavier, Steven began looking for an indoor career. A friend leaving the WMRMC security department convinced him to apply for the opening. Steven accepted the full-time security position, a role that allowed him to roam the hospital property and build relationships. Whenever the ER needed an extra set of hands, Steven jumped in to help.

The pattern of open doors continued. Holly, the ER Manager who had worked with Steven's wife for years, noticed his initiative and offered him a part-time Patient Care Tech (PCT) position. Thanks to his exemplary work ethic, that part-time role quickly transitioned into a full-time position in the ER.

Finding the Calling in the OR

While Steven enjoyed the fast pace of the ER, his core drive, wanting to help people to the absolute best of his ability, pushed him to seek out ways to offer even more. While completing nursing school prerequisites, he had a conversation with Sandra, the OR Manager. She told him about Northland Pioneer College's (NPC) surgical tech program and invited him to shadow in the OR for a day.

Watching a surgical team actively fix a problem "taking the Band-Aids off and putting a body back together" hooked him entirely. Steven knew that the OR was where he wanted to serve his community.

Steven leaned into this opportunity to better engage his calling. NPC instructor Stephanie Gwen, who also worked PRN at the hospital, along with other WMRMC surgical techs, allowed him to use his classroom downtime for on-the-job training. The OR staff drilled him extensively on instrument names and tool sterilization late into the evening. Another door taken off its hinges. Because Steven knew he wanted to build his career at WMRMC, he arranged to complete his orthopedic rotations right here alongside Dr. Oldham.

Embodying Teamwork

Today, Steven works full-time as a Certified OR Tech. He thrives as a "jack of all trades," jumping seamlessly between handling Central Sterile, cleaning rooms between cases, and assisting in surgeries. More than the work itself, he deeply values the culture of the surgery department, noting that "I've been a part of many teams, but our surgery department embodies teamwork. There's no I or you. It's us." He praises the surgeons, nurses and techs who consistently take the time to teach noting "They would sit there, every instrument that came out of the wash. What's this? What's this? The nurses were instrumental in training as well. This is exactly what we do. This is how we do things. This is the way and why we do it in the OR. All the way up to our anesthesiologists and our surgeons. There's been no question that I haven't been able to go to Dr. Oldham and be like, "What are we doing? Why are we doing it this way?" So everybody in the OR has been, hands-down, great with training. They've been instrumental. Instrumental. There you go. No pun intended."

Looking back, Steven has no regrets about his path. He attributes his success to a seamless journey where he never had to beat down doors. Instead, the doors were taken off their frames years ago, naturally guiding him to exactly where he is today.