Allison Towler has worked as a Registered Nurse at Centra for 17 years, and currently she works full time in the Radiology Department at Lynchburg General Hospital (LGH). Her day to day can include caring for patients who those who are having procedures, those who are undergoing a paracentesis, and those who are receiving an MRI. Throughout her time at Centra, Towler has worked in various departments including the Vascular Intensive Care Unit, the Emergency Department and the Post-Anesthesia Care Unit. However, confirmation that her childhood dream to be a nurse was the right career choice occurred for Towler when she joined the Surgical Services Resource Team in 2011 and fell in love with caring for patients in the operating room and during recovery.
Towler’s favorite part of her work at Centra is getting to take care of patients, pray with them and provide them extra TLC to ensure they know there is a team of Caregivers supporting their recovery. Seeing her patients one to two times per week has led, Towler to feel that they become like a second family. At the same time, this has become the most challenging part of her position because it makes the experience of losing a patient even more difficult. She also shared that one of the most impactful aspects of her work has been getting to witness the synergy exhibited by her team in Surgical Services. She said that each member of the team worked together to ensure that the patient made it into and out of the Operating Room safely by going the extra mile in all safety checks and procedures. Similarly, her favorite memory from her time thus far at Centra comes from 2020 when she worked at the Forest COVID-19 Testing Clinic. She conveyed that this was a scary time for all Caregivers, but that her team exhibited so much joy amidst the chaos of the pandemic as they worked together to care for every patient who visited the clinic.
Towler’s heart for others extends past just her work at Centra, Towler has been serving as a volunteer for Girls on the Run since her oldest daughter was in third grade, and she just finished her seventh season of coaching for the program. She shared that she loved being a part of the program because it helped her daughter come out of her shell while teaching her how to grow in self-confidence, communicate her emotions and make a difference through a community impact project. Towler’s team which meets on the campus of Elon Elmentary School in Amherst, VA has raised money for the Humane Society and collected stuffed animals and coloring books for the Pediatric Unit at Centra LGH. However, Towler’s favorite community impact project was when they chose to uplift Elon Elementary by spreading positive phrases on posters and sticky notes across the school. She shared that coaching for Girls on the Run has made her wish she could have had a similar program in her life when she was in elementary school, and she would encourage others to get involved with volunteering or coaching for Girls on the Run Central Virginia and Blue Ridge.
When asked what keeps her busy outside of Centra, Towler immediately said her kids. Her daughters play volleyball, and her family enjoys going camping together. In the moments she has to herself, she can be found reading, exercising, crocheting or hiking. When asked what the most important thing the world is missing right now is, she answered kindness and the ability to recognize the blessings that are right in front of us. Finally, when asked what gets her excited when she wakes up each morning, Towler said, “having another day to serve the Lord and my community.”
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