Submitted by Providence Swedish
For Courtney Smith, a career in healthcare felt like a calling long before she ever stepped into a hospital.
As a child, she was captivated by medicine, often spending hours watching health programs on TV and imagining a future in healthcare. When she entered college, she initially pursued a pre-med track, convinced that becoming a physician was the right path. Through volunteer experiences, she discovered something that would ultimately shape her career.
“I found myself drawn to the direct patient care, so I decided that nursing was really the route I wanted to go,” Courtney said.
She switched to a pre-nursing track, entered nursing school and graduated in 2016. Soon after, she began working as a bedside nurse in Richland, Washington, where she spent the next five years caring for patients and building relationships with them and their families. “I truly loved it,” she said. “When I was a bedside nurse, I was just fine being ‘just a nurse’ for my whole career.”
An Unexpected Path to Leadership
In 2021, Courtney and her husband relocated to Lewis County, where his family is from. The move brought new opportunities and unexpected career growth.
After briefly working night shift at Providence St. Peter Hospital, Courtney transitioned into home health care as a patient care manager in Centralia. It was her first experience in a leadership-focused nursing role, and one that changed the trajectory of her career.
“I had no desire to leave being a bedside nurse, but I just kind of fell into leadership and fell in love,” she said.
That passion continued to grow when an assistant nurse manager position opened at Providence Centralia Hospital. Courtney accepted the role and quickly expanded her skills in leadership, operations and people management. “I had the most fantastic mentor to guide me, and I just fell in love with the role,” she said.
Today, Courtney serves as a nurse manager, a position she has held for the past two years.
Supporting Caregivers, Supporting Patients
While the role of a nurse leader has evolved significantly in recent years, Courtney believes the foundation remains the same: exceptional patient care begins with supporting the people who provide it.
As a nurse manager, she oversees daily operations, budgeting, staffing, quality measures and patient safety initiatives. At the same time, she remains committed to maintaining connections with patients, families and caregivers.
“For me, I want to take good care of my staff so that they can take good care of their patients,” she said.
That philosophy guides her leadership style. Whether she helps to address staffing challenges, supports professional development or ensures teams have the resources they need, Courtney sees caregiver support as an essential part of delivering high-quality care.
A Hospital With a Hometown Heart
Ask Courtney what makes Centralia Hospital special, and her answer comes quickly. “Honestly, it’s that hometown feel,” she said.
Many caregivers at the hospital have lifelong connections to Lewis County. It is not uncommon for family members to work alongside one another, creating a close-knit culture rooted in community.
For Courtney, whose husband’s family has long-standing ties to the area, that sense of community is deeply personal. She knows many of the people who walk through the hospital doors, not only as patients but as neighbors, friends and family members.
She says she would trust her coworkers to care for her own loved ones without hesitation, a confidence that speaks volumes about the level of care provided every day.
“It’s personalized, it’s compassionate, it’s dedicated,” Courtney said. “The staff really do just want to provide the same level of care for their community that they would for their own family members.”
Life Beyond the Hospital
Outside of work, Courtney’s life is every bit as busy as her professional role. She and her husband are raising two children, ages six and eight, while also helping care for livestock on their family property. When they have free time, they enjoy camping, exploring local attractions and spending time outdoors together.
At the same time, Courtney continues to invest in her future and the future of healthcare leadership. She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in healthcare administration, further building the knowledge and skills she brings to her role.
Courtney’s journey, from a young girl fascinated by medicine to a bedside nurse and now a healthcare leader, reflects the values that define Centralia Hospital. Through compassionate leadership, dedication to caregivers and a commitment to serving her community, she helps ensure that patients receive the kind of neighbor-to-neighbor care that makes a lasting impact.
About Providence Swedish
Providence Swedish in South Puget Sound touches more lives in the 540,000 five-county service area of Thurston, Mason, Lewis, Grays Harbor and Pacific counties than any other health care provider.
It is made up of:
• Providence St. Peter Hospital, a 394-bed facility founded in 1887.
• Providence Centralia Hospital, a 128-bed facility founded in 1926.
• Providence Medical Group in Southwest Washington, including more than 40 clinics with more than 350 primary, specialty care and hospital-based providers.
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