by Garrick Moritz, Gazette
The Employee of the Month for Palisades Healthcare Center, is a senior from Brandon Valley High School, Keith Travis.
Travis is a section lead for the BVHS marching band and was proud of his school’s undefeated football record at the time of this interview. Travis took the job as a Certified Nurse Assistant this past July and has really enjoyed it.
“The residents make the job fun,” he said. “It’s not only good training for me, to understand the medical profession with real world experience, but it’s great feeling to be there for the residents, and to help them with their needs. Before this I worked in the food service industry, but this job is a lot more demanding, both physically and emotionally. It can be tiring to take care of other people, but it’s really worthwhile. At the end of the day you know you made a difference in someone’s life and that’s what I love about it the most.”
Travis lives with his dad, and is the youngest, having three brothers and two sisters in total. He’s volunteered to serve in the SD Air Guard, so he goes off for basic training after graduation. He plans to attend Lake Area Technical College in Watertown, and in his professional life he’d like to pursue a career in Emergency Medicine, aiming to become an EMT on an emergency medical crew.
“Helping people when they need it the most is at the core of what motivates me,” he said. “That’s what I want to do, and working here is a great start for that. I’ve learned so much since taking the job here. We’ve got great people with a lot of knowledge and skill, and the residents are a great community. I’m happy to be a part of it, and love the job.”
