San Diego Health - Spring 2024

Donie Inis CT Technician, Scripps Mercy Hospital, Chula Vista A lot has changed in the world of medical technology since Donie Inis entered the field. His current job of CT tech didn’t even exist when his career started—Inis was working in radiology when the opportunity came about. Curious about this new CT scanning, Inis used his days off to train himself on it. “At the time, there was a mobile unit that traveled from hospital to hospital. So, I’d go to whatever hospital it was at, to observe and to learn that way,” Inis says. Decades later, Inis still loves his job. “I’ve become really good friends with people I’ve worked with, and helping patients is very rewarding,” he says. “A lot of times people will come in and they’ll be nervous, so it’s our job to help however we can.” Asked how it feels to have been with Scripps for 45 years, Inis chuckles at the number. “Really, it’s gone by pretty fast. That’s the great thing about doing something you love to do.”

64 Years of Service

Beatrice “Bea” Fulgham Current Volunteer, Retired Nursing Supervisor, Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla Beatrice Fulgham has been with Scripps La Jolla for so long that she likes to joke she didn’t actually know the hospital’s founder, Ellen Browning Scripps. Fulgham did, however, work at Scripps’ original location on Prospect Street, joining as a nurse in 1960. She ended her official employment in 1992—only to start as a volunteer immediately after. “Basically, I resigned one day. Then I went downstairs and said, ‘OK, I’m back,’” she recalls with a laugh.

A volunteer for 32 years, she’s the longest-serving volunteer in hospital history. “I love that it keeps me social,” she says. “Plus, it gives me that feeling that I’m doing something important and making a difference.” Fulgham’s affection for Scripps is clear as she describes the changes she’s seen the hospital undergo, from Scripps La Jolla’s move from Prospect Street to Genesee Avenue to expanding and building new hospital towers. But one of her most memorable moments is the inauguration of Scripps’ first trauma center in the 1980s. A supervisor at the time, Fulgham says she was given a “crash course to learn all about the new facility.” “It was an incredible time,” she says. But just as precious to her are the memories she has of the people—be it staff, patients or volunteers. “When I started at Scripps La Jolla, I remember I just got this comfortable feeling. Everyone was so welcoming and upbeat and exciting,” she says, “and that feeling has never gone away.”

45 Years of Service

MYSDHEALTH.COM 27

Made with FlippingBook Ebook Creator