Meet our Team – Nurse Hillary Chaffer

At The Arthritis & Infusion Center, we take great pride in building a team of dedicated professionals. Hillary Chaffer is one such staff member, who has her LPN license and is continuing her nursing education at Gulf Coast State College.

When interviewed, Hillary shared her thoughts on the importance of the services provided by Dr. Hulon Crayton: “The majority of people we see every day are in pain. I enjoy watching the process of prevention, holding off the deterioration of their body and joints. It is so rewarding to watch patients become absolutely transformed from walking stooped over to not even requiring surgery for their disability,” said Ms. Chaffer. “I also love helping people learn about their ailments, from providing the availability of networking groups, which help in coping with their conditions, to providing tangible things they can do, with diet and exercise, to help offset the ravages of their disease.”

 Hillary Chaffer, LPN

 
Ms. Chaffer’s career track took her from nursing home care, where she could only dispense medications, to working for Dr. Crayton, where she gets a lot more satisfaction by taking an active role in the oversight and care of people suffering from arthritis and other Rheumatologic or connective-tissue diseases.

When asked to answer the question – Who is Hillary? She thought a moment before responding – “I can remember as a young child, we had to write adjectives that spelled out our names, and showed who we were as a person.  For ‘H’, I wrote ‘hilarious’; ‘I’ was for ‘inventive’; and for the first ‘L’, I wrote ‘laughing’, but I don’t remember the rest. I’d say I’m kind of like an onion on ‘Shrek’, where you peel back numerous layers.” Then, she broke out in even more laughter at comparing herself to “Shrek”.

But life isn’t always light hearted for Ms. Chaffer. She often provides a type of personal hospice service to animals who have been turned over to shelters due to their serious illnesses, and owners not able to pay for the medicines and treatment. Hillary does get a lot of joy from her marriage and her avocation as a Certified Feline Groomer.

Staff often refers to Hillary’s “upbeat and caring” personality, so important in a team environment, and Dr. Crayton has said he cannot imagine a person better suited to help care for his patients.  Hillary, and Dr. Crayton, would like to remind you:  “Pain is not normal. We can help.”  Contact the practice to see what makes their entire team so very special.