Meet Gladys Cornn, Saint Joseph London’s longest-serving employee

Gladys Cornn, in her 42nd year at Saint Joseph London, remembers a time there before computers, when records were kept manually and went to a central records room for filing. 

“If you needed patient charts, you would need to manually look and pull the paper charts to find the needed information,” she said. “We had the hard covers of books that you could look stuff up. Whenever you needed to know something, hopefully you had the latest up-to-date book.”

Then, Cornn said, “We were introduced to computers,” giving caregivers instant knowledge.”

Saint Joseph London’s longest-serving staff member, Cornn came to the hospital after working as a Respiratory Technician and medical-Surgical nurse in Corbin and as a Cardiac Nurse at Saint Joseph Hospital in Lexington. She started working at the London hospital as an Emergency Department nurse. When she started, the Emergency Department had just one cardiac monitor on a crash cart, no IV pumps and just four exam rooms. With no paramedics in those early days, Cornn recalls riding in ambulances with patients who were being transferred to other hospitals. 

Thirty-five years ago, Cornn moved into a new position as the hospital’s Infection Preventionist, acting as a liaison between the hospital and public health and, as she puts it, “ensuring the best care for patients, staff, visitors and health care providers.”

Reflecting on Four Decades of Change

Besides the advent of computers and overall advancements in the field of medicine, Cornn sees the most significant changes during her service as a more robust patient/nurse ratio, 24/7 availability of doctors and hospital pharmacy, the addition of physician assistants, nurse practitioners and mid-level providers and the ability of caregivers to add to their knowledge via online education. She is appreciative of the hospital’s advanced central heating and air conditioning, knowing what it was like to work without it.

As an Infection Preventionist, she also cited advancements in personal protective devices and equipment to prevent the spread of infections. “We now have access to gloves in all aspects of care, whereas years ago, they were extremely limited,” she said.

Cornn said she once asked a doctor what he thought was the most important nursing advancement and was a bit surprised that he named disposable syringes. “Me, I thought it was disposable bedpans. We used to have metal urinals and bedpans that would need constant cleaning,” she said with a laugh.

Cornn is in awe of the London hospital’s recent acquisition of a surgical robot to enhance minimally invasive procedures like abdominal and hiatal hernia repairs, appendectomies and gallbladder removals.

“I think robotics is a wonderful thing,” she said. “I see the success. I see the decrease in (surgery) time. I see the decrease in healing time. I see the decrease in not having to do open surgeries. There’s just so many things today that amaze me. We have advanced so, so far.”

Mentorship, Preparedness and Community

Cornn holds an associate degree in nursing and bachelor’s degree in business administration, in addition to certification in infection prevention. She has worn many other hats alongside her main ones during her long tenure, including house manager and Emergency Department manager. 

“I’ve done about everything – and if I’ve not done it, I’ve filled in for them,” she said.

Cornn was the first nurse at the London hospital to earn advanced cardiac life support and  pediatric advanced life support certifications and went on to teach both of those for 20 years. She was also the regional emergency preparedness chairperson. 

“We were able to learn from our local and regional friends to have the ability to help others,” she said. “What you learn is, you need to have knowledge, and the more knowledge you have, you share with others.” 

One thing she said she teaches is ‘the why,” or “why we do what we do.”

“You can tell people what to do, and they may do it,” she explained. “You can tell them how to do it, and they may have more buy-in. I share with them the ‘why.’ Why we do what we do, and how we can make a difference.”

The Corbin native, whose late husband, Ken, was Director of Nursing at the old Baptist hospital in Corbin, serves on multiple hospital committees and helps communicate Saint Joseph’s humankindness mission to new caregivers and staff. She also enjoys mentoring other infection prevention specialists and is part of a network of those professionals in the Saint Joseph South Region. 

“We have phenomenal resources that we never had before,” she said. “You can reach out to other hospitals of all sizes across the country that are part of our network. We have the ability to share knowledge and seek information from places such as Baylor St. Luke’s in Texas, because they’re part of our team. It gives us insight.” 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the London hospital was better able to prepare because it learned from sister hospitals that were hit earlier, she pointed out. 

She has faced not only COVID as an infection preventionist, but also HIV. She wrote the hospital’s resulting first bloodborne pathogen policy. 

“We now keep our eyes and ears open for the next outbreak, including such things as measles and whooping cough,” Cornn said. “Our goal is to be prepared so we can keep staff and others safe. We have to be  aware of what’s around the next corner that we stay prepared for so we’re not caught off guard.”

She has remained at the London hospital because, she said, it’s like family and she cares about her co-workers, patients and community. “People and families come up to me years later and say they remember me taking care of them or their families,” she said. 

Her son, U.S. Air Force 1st Lt. Andrew Cornn, has followed in her footsteps as a Flight Nurse with a Critical Care Transport Team. 

Cornn, 68, said she is often asked why she hasn’t retired. “And I pray about that — 'Lord are you done with me?’ He didn’t say yes, so I continue to work and continue to strive to make a difference every day. May we always be blessed to serve the Lord and others.”

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