Adam Flores spent 20 years in the U.S. Marine Corps, retiring in recent years out of Parris Island. As his career in the military drew to a close, Adam began the process of determining what came next — and that led him to a future career in nursing. Adam, who began working as a nurse intern at Beaufort Memorial in 2022, completed his bachelor’s degree in nursing at the University of South Carolina Beaufort in April.
Discovering a Passion
After graduating from high school in 2000, Adam attended college in Texas on a track scholarship and planned to pursue a business degree. He quickly learned, however, that college wasn't for him and dropped out after his first year. He soon found his way to the Marine Corps. There, he found a home.
“[Radio host/career coach] Ken Coleman talked about a life where passion meets purpose,” Adam says. “That’s what I found serving in the Marine Corps. I found passion in serving the Marines, serving a broader purpose in America and taking care of our country.”
Knowing he had a passion for giving to others, Adam wanted to find a post-military career that would allow him to do that.
“Service is the core of who I am and what I want to do,” Adam says. “That’s what drove me to the medical field.”
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Finding His Way to Nursing
Adam and his wife, Bailey, have four children, including 14-year-old Xavier, 12-year-old Eliza, and 9-year-old twins Phoebe and Piper. The twins were both treated for hip dysplasia at a young age, exposing Adam to the ins and outs of the health care system and eventually leading him toward medicine.
“About two and half years before I got out of the military, I told my wife that I really thought nursing was what I was supposed to do,” Adam says. “So, we came up with a plan. We budgeted and set money aside since we didn’t know what work would look like while I was going to nursing school.”
That picture became a little clearer — and the financial issues a little less stressful — when Adam learned about the PATH Program at Beaufort Memorial. The program, which offers opportunities for current employees to develop their careers, also provides scholarships to help future healthcare workers like Adam.
“It’s scary not having a plan for how to provide for your family, and so being able to rely on the organization to support our goals and our future is just phenomenal,” Adam says. “You don’t always find an organization that’s willing to invest — not only time in teaching you the job but also money in my situation to help us grow, to help the organization grow and to help the organization become a better version of itself.”
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Serving People
“If I had to summarize what I do, I would say that I serve people,” Adam says. “As a nurse intern, I operated much like a certified nursing assistant, completing basic daily needs for patients. I also got to assist nurses as they performed nursing-specific skills, and gained first-hand knowledge of how a nurse operates on a daily basis. Now that I have graduated, I am excited to take the knowledge learned through my nursing program, along with my experiences as a nurse intern, to better serve my community!”
Part of being a nurse is going above and beyond for patients, a skill Adam mastered as a nurse intern.
I make it a point to enter every patient’s room with a warm smile and positive attitude, because you never know who’s waiting on the other side of the door,” Adam says. “I recall one particular shift when I walked into a patient’s room and right away, I could tell she could use a little cheering up. She was quiet at first, but I made her giggle one time, and I knew I had her. I walked over to the whiteboard and said, ‘We’re going to start a giggle tally.’ I put a checkmark in the box and said, ‘We’re going to see how many times I can get you giggling.’ Instantly, I saw her start to smile a little bit, and by the end of the day, there were about 20 checkmarks up there.”
After graduation from USCB, Adam changed hats at Beaufort Memorial, moving from being a nurse intern to being a nurse, right back on 3T with his med-surg colleagues. He brought his mantra for nursing along with him.
“It’s about the quality of care you can provide,” Adam says. “It’s about making people feel like people, making them feel like somebody cares about them and that they’re seen. That’s what I strive to do.”
Looking for somewhere to put your skills and passion for service to work? Browse current job openings at Beaufort Memorial.