Celebrating Our People – Meet Leeandra

Leeandra Hill, RN, BSN, has spent all but three months of her nursing career in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. The December 2019 nursing school graduate, who works in the progressive care unit at Saint Joseph London, said the pandemic has only strengthened her desire to help others.

“A lot of us are tired, but who wouldn’t be?” Leeandra said. “We’ve been short-staffed and we don’t have enough beds, but we’re working as hard as we can. [Working through the pandemic] has strengthened my desire because I still obviously want to help others, even more now. It makes me feel like I'm doing my part.”  

Last year, when health care professionals were navigating a new virus with lots of developing news and knowledge, Leeandra made a difficult but brave decision to protect her family.

“When COVID-19 first started, my little boy went to stay with my parents because I didn’t want to risk bringing it home to him or taking it to [my parents],” Leeandra said. “It hurt so bad because you don’t want to leave your little boy, but you don’t want him to get sick either.”

Protecting her family is a reason Leeandra decided to get vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus.

“Ultimately, especially with everything we’ve seen lately, I know I need to get [the vaccine] to protect myself, my family and my patients,” Leeandra said.

Leeandra pursued her Bachelor of Science in nursing immediately after earning her nursing license, but now she’s focused on her career as a nurse and spending time with her family. Her dedication to her work recently earned her recognition as an employee of the month at Saint Joseph London.

“I jumped right into my BSN after getting my nursing degree,” Leeandra said. “I want to take a break from school, so I can get used to this role because it’s always changing and spend a little extra time with my son. I plan to go back to get my master’s degree.

“I didn’t see the employee of the month recognition coming.”

In her free time, Leeandra and her son enjoy building 1,000-piece puzzles together. She enjoys reading mystery novels and said her favorite books are the Percy Jackson and Fear Street series.