HMHI Expert Spotlight: Benjamin Vincent, RN
Tell us a little bit about yourself.
I have lived in Utah most of my life and grew up right here in the Salt Lake Valley. I鈥檝e been married to my lovely wife Stephanie for 18 years and have two beautiful boys, Xander (10) and Eli (8). I don鈥檛 get outside as much as I used to, but growing up, I spent a lot of time camping and skiing in the mountains and desert.
What do you do at Huntsman Mental Health Institute (HMHI)?
I worked as a Certified Nursing Assistant at the University of Utah Hospital for a year and a half starting in 2002 but left to pursue other opportunities. Unable to find job satisfaction in finance or accounting, I returned to healthcare in 2010 as a psychiatric technician at Utah Neuropsychiatric Institute (UNI), now HMHI. I made my way through nursing school and now work as a Clinical Nurse Coordinator and Nursing Professional Development Practitioner. In my role, I mainly support inpatient treatment nursing at HMHI through staff development, including training and education in Code Blue, an annual training program, and Psych Tech Essentials. I鈥檓 also the training coordinator for the HOPE program.
It is truly humbling to work with all the talented and caring nursing staff at HMHI. I am amazed by the expertise, experience, and wisdom of those whom I work with. And I am in awe of the loyalty I see from our frontline staff to top nursing leadership. I feel blessed and inspired as I watch those around me throw everything they are into caring for our mental health patients and am grateful to be a part of the magnificent work that is taking place at HMHI.
It鈥檚 incredibly rewarding to positively impact patient care by helping staff develop personally and professionally.
How did you get started in this line of work?
I have always been drawn to helping people through direct interaction, which naturally led me to a career in nursing. Although I got into this profession for patient interaction, my current job duties have me interacting more with staff. It鈥檚 incredibly rewarding to help them develop personally and professionally. And knowing that I can positively impact patient care through the education I provide and the classes I teach.
What do you do for fun when you are not working?
I am a family-oriented person and enjoy spending time doing things with my wife and kids. I enjoy backyard grilling and smoking and my main hobby right now is target shooting, or 鈥渞ecoil therapy鈥 as I sometimes call it. There is something very satisfying about ringing steel targets out in the desert for several hours. I am too old for video games, but I still find time to play them with my friends.