Sara Fairbank is from McLean, Virginia and attended the Potomac School before joining Mountain Valley in 2019. After successfully completing the program, she enrolled at Georgetown University and completed a degree in nursing. Today she’s a registered nurse serving the D.C. area, with plans to pursue a graduate degree and make an even bigger impact in the field.
What brought you to Mountain Valley?
I’ve always had anxiety, but my last year of high school I became pretty depressed, and my anxiety was much harder to manage. I finished out the school year but then immediately enrolled at Mountain Valley. I had a good experience—of course it was tough, but I was growing a lot and learning a lot more about my anxiety. I 100% think it was the best thing for me.
I think I challenged myself to grow, even though it was difficult to make it through and come out the other side. I had to use my new coping skills in an environment that caused me so much anxiety before. The relationships I made at Mountain Valley were very valuable and it was a great program for me.
What are you doing today?
I’m a clinical nurse at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital. During nursing school, I started working there as a student nurse technician and I’ve been with them ever since. Today I’m on the adult medical intermediate care floor, we see pretty much everything with adult patients but it’s one step below the ICU.
I’ve always loved science, but I also love working with people. Compared to physicians in the hospital setting, I get much more time with my patients. On my floor I work with three or four patients a day, and I get to have a personal connection with them.
Tell us about a memorable connection you’ve made with a patient?
When I was still on orientation, we had one relatively stable patient. We were fully staffed and had extra time that day to talk. He shared with us that he’s an artist and loved drawing. To thank us for everything we did he drew me a cartoon of Spiderman that says, “Thank you Sara.” It’s a physical reminder of the impact I have, so I definitely want to frame it.
How do you think Mountain Valley made a difference in your life?
Mountain Valley gave me the tools to advocate for myself in a very important way. I had a lot of anxiety in nursing school, and while my time at Mountain Valley didn’t reduce my anxiety, it gave me the tools to work with it. I was able to communicate my needs with my professors to help me complete nursing school successfully, which was essential since I started during the pandemic.
What are your future goals?
I’ve thought about becoming a nurse practitioner, but I think I’d really like to pursue teaching. I might go back and get my master’s in nursing education. I promised myself when I entered healthcare that I’d be relatively open with my patients, using therapeutic communication and relating to their experiences with anxiety. I’d love to get more involved as an alum with Mountain Valley and volunteer more of my time—my experience there was transformational.
