Tina Gibson

Like many Central Ohio Technical College (COTC) students, Tina Gibson came back to the classroom as an adult learner, hoping to switch to a more rewarding and fulfilling career. In 2019, Gibson graduated from COTC with an associate degree in nursing (ADN) and has devoted herself to the nursing community ever since.

After a significant change in her life, Gibson — now a surgical oncology and medical-surgical travel nurse at Riverside Methodist Hospital in Columbus — needed a change of pace financially and personally. “I’ve always loved helping people,” she said. “And I’ve had multiple jobs throughout my life in the medical field.” While her nursing career started in some part due to necessity, it quickly became a passion. “It’s more fulfilling than I ever thought it was going to be. It’s very challenging, but very rewarding, too.”

Gibson was “pleasantly surprised” to find that she wasn’t the only adult learner in her cohort. “There were a lot of students my age, and I liked that; it was comforting.” Gibson’s peers and faculty helped ease her educational journey. “I actually thought it was a really easy transition, coming back to school,” she said.

After graduation, Gibson founded the Mid-East Ohio chapter of the Nurse’s Honor Guard, an organization that arranges Nightingale tributes at nurse’s funerals. The ceremony includes giving the deceased a white rose, doing a final call to duty, and extinguishing a flame in a porcelain lamp and giving it to their family. “It’s kind of the opposite of when we do our pinning,” Gibson explained. “We give the pledge to our duty then, and this is their final call to service. We release them from their nursing duties. It’s a lot like the military.”

The Mid-East Ohio Nurse’s Honor Guard covers seven counties, including Gibson’s own hometown of Coshocton, as well as Guernsey, Holmes, Knox, Licking, Muskingum and Tuscarawas. This endeavor is currently entirely self-funded by Gibson, who provides all the necessary resources for the services. The Honor Guard is free to join, and all Gibson asks of volunteer nurses is to provide their own white scrubs to wear during tributes. She hopes to be able to include living tributes soon as well.

“I’ve always been the type of person where, if there’s a will, there’s a way,” Gibson said. “If anyone wants to do this, you’ve got to put the grind in. It can be done; you just have to really focus on what your priority is. And your priority should be to change your career, to be a nurse, to really want to be a nurse.”

In her free time, Gibson likes to travel, spend time with her family and focus on her work for the Mid-East Ohio Nurse’s Honor Guard. Those interested in volunteering or donating can contact Gibson at meonursehonorguard@gmail.com.