Marcia Taylor, Golden Girl

Marcia Taylor, RN would like a snack.

It is the party marking her 50 years working at Monument Health Rapid City Hospital and the Director of Patient Experience is trying to make her way over to the catering spread for a canapé. Time and again, though, guests beckon her over to pose with them for photos. It’s hungry work being popular.

And so, the metaphor suggests itself – the key to Marcia’s longevity is to stay hungry.

“I like to be able to really help people, but also learn myself. I learn more in a day’s work than I can teach anybody. It keeps you challenged, and it keeps you going in the right direction in your career,” Marcia says. It is this type of hunger that has informed Marcia’s storied progression at Monument Health – the type that sustains and nourishes both a healthy vocation and a curious mind. And this hunger has led her down a winding, expansive career path.

Fifty years ago, when Marcia first started as a nurse aide at Rapid City Hospital, the health care industry, Rapid City and the world were all very different. In a sense, though, Marcia was already who she would become – a woman driven to seek out a challenge. She worked while continuing school, ultimately securing a degree in nursing. From there, Marcia’s role evolved and evolved again. “I’ve done everything. I oversaw Home Care and Hospice for 10 years. I was an Executive Director for Nursing for probably five years. I’ve been a Clinical Specialist.”

It doesn’t hurt that Marcia’s passion informs her satisfaction, instead of the other way around; a vital mindset for longevity in any career. “I have enjoyed every single job I have ever had. I’ve never left a job out of anger or frustration. When I no longer am challenged, I know it’s time to move on, because if you’re not challenged, you don’t grow. And you never think that you don’t have the background because there’s nothing that you can’t do if you want to do it. So that might mean you have to go on to school, study more.” 

And that is precisely what she did. “I was a Surgical Director many, many years ago, and I had a Master’s Degree in Nursing at that point, but directorships require you to be pretty savvy with rules, regulations and finance, and so I went back and got a Master’s in Business.”

Reflecting on who inspired her along the way moves Marcia to tears. “The leadership is exceptional, and the mentorship is exceptional, and the teams are exceptional. It truly fosters better quality care when you’ve got excellent leaders guiding you and mentoring you. And if I can do that for others, that’s what’s important,” she says.

As Marcia’s golden anniversary reception winds down, she finally finds a moment to grab that well-earned snack. “It was more than a lovely celebration,” she says. “And it was fun to see everyone. I would rather see them than go eat.”

Naturally, the milestone prompts Marcia to consider retirement, or at least what else she can accomplish. “Who knows what I’ll do next? I have no idea. I did look into a doctoral program in nursing fairly recently, and my husband just stared at me. So I don’t know if I’ll be doing that. It’s been a great career. I’ve been able to do a lot. If I can always remain teaching and guiding and mentoring. I’m a happy camper.”

Congratulations, Marcia. Yours is the kind of hunger that just can’t be satisfied. 

Story: Kory Lanphear
Photos: Robert Slocum and Kory Lanphear