Staff Spotlight: Rhonda Hostler

Rhonda Hostler ’85, director of health services, was a 15-year-old volunteer candy striper at a military hospital when she realized she had found her calling in the health care field. She became a registered nurse in 1996 and went immediately to work at Driscoll Children’s Hospital in Corpus Christi, Texas, as an emergency room trauma nurse. In 2003, Hostler and her husband moved to Northwest Arkansas where she worked in pediatrics, then at the University of Arkansas before joining JBU in 2011.

What do you find most rewarding about being a nurse and how do you see your mission at JBU?

Caring for our students is the most rewarding part! I’m able to teach them how to navigate their health needs as well as making smart choices. I give hugs when they need it too. I see my mission as a helper between parents caring for our students and the real world. When a student comes to college they don’t have mom here to tell them when it’s appropriate to see a doctor or how to make an appointment. When a student comes to see me with an injury or illness, most of the time it doesn’t require seeing a physician. When they do, most have never had to make an appointment with a doctor’s office. So when our students need to see a doctor, I walk them through that process.

What brought you to JBU and what keeps you here?

I loved my job at the U of A, but the daily drive was becoming a grind. I became a “mom” again and needed to spend more time at home and less time on the road. One of our RDs told me about a need for an RN at JBU. I thought I would be perfect for the job since I had worked with college students. I am still here because it’s the best nursing job in the world! I get to work with college students who I get to watch grow into adults and I get to be a part of their world. I have gone to weddings, gone into delivery rooms, rafted the Nile River with some…I have laughed and cried and prayed with others.

What did you experience and learn from the COVID-19 situation last semester when campus suddenly closed?

I learned just how connected this world is. In December, I heard about a virus in China that had WHO and the CDC concerned. Less than six weeks later, it had spread to other Asian countries and Europe. Then weeks later it was here. I saw how having to stop classes and send everyone home absolutely devastated our students, as they love each other and love being part of the JBU community. When Dr. Pollard announced the decision, our students broke down and were crying. We knew it was for the best, but it was hard to see them suffer like that.

How have you been preparing for the fall semester and how will it look different?

I am part of the JBU COVID-19 Task Force and we are meeting twice a week trying to think of every detail to keep our students, faculty and staff healthy and safe. We want to do so (keeping our students and faculty and staff healthy and safe), but we also want to make sure our students have a good college experience while feeling a part of the JBU community. So, finding that balance is a challenge. Is it going to be the same as years past? No, it can’t at this time. But it can be a good experience, it’s just going to be different.

How do you keep up with the application of new COVID-19 discoveries and guidelines as they are disclosed?

I follow the CDC recommendations as well as the Arkansas Department of Health. I also follow a forum from American College Health Association, an organization of health services from colleges from all across the U.S. We share ideas and help solve problems each of us are having, including how to navigate COVID-19 in colleges and universities. The challenge is that what is recommended now may not be so next week or next month.

What recommendations can you give JBU faculty, staff and students for how to live this ‘new normal’?

Wash your hands, wear a mask and do social distancing. And take care of yourself. You can still see friends, but instead of going to lunch at a restaurant, everyone can take their lunch to a park, sit in chairs placed six feet apart and visit. Things look different, but with a little imagination we can still connect with each other.

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