Around three decades ago, Kim Hurley, BSN, RN, the Area Director of Nursing at Sansum Clinic, was in the middle of her weekly exam in nursing school at Santa Barbara City College (SBCC). Every Friday, students took the standard exam to test their knowledge of that week’s curriculum. She had already failed two of those exams. If she failed a third time, she would be kicked out of the nursing program.
The thought of failing a third exam sent her into a panic. She stormed out of the room, heart pounding, gasping for air in the hallway. Despite her solid grasp of the material, she couldn’t fathom her repeated failures.
She wasn’t the only one baffled by her low test scores. Her teachers at SBCC immediately came to her rescue. They acknowledged that she was struggling and made it their duty to figure out why. They met with her and informed her that she could have another shot, and this time, they would read her the test.
So, a week later, Hurley showed up for her retake, and instead of reading the questions and writing down her answers, her teachers recited them to her. “They did that, and I got them all right,” Hurley recalled.
And that’s how she found out she had dyslexia. “Oh my god, I’m not broken,” she thought. “I’m not lazy.” From that point on, she was allowed to test differently. And she graduated from SBCC’s nursing program with flying colors. Her professors didn’t simply dismiss her struggles. They went above and beyond, identifying the root of her difficulties and providing the support she needed. “They spent the time, and they really changed my life,” she said.
She’s still in touch with those teachers. Jan Anderson, who was the director of the nursing program at the time but has since retired, was one of the teachers who helped her understand her learning disability. Hurley still sees her around town. “I always give her a big hug,” she shared.
Hurley believes that she may have switched her career path entirely without her teachers’ support. She had always struggled with testing in high school and, because of that, believed she was inept. “That’s why I didn’t go to college right out of high school,” she admitted. “Because I did not enjoy school, and school was very hard for me.” Before her dyslexia diagnosis, she almost gave up nursing entirely. “There were times when I was like, ‘I’m just never going to do anything,’” she remembers thinking to herself.
Nursing wasn’t always on Hurley’s radar. When she moved to Santa Barbara from the Bay Area at 18, she wanted to be a model and signed with La’ Belle, a local modeling agency. She also worked as a receptionist at the Santa Barbara Medical Foundation Clinic (SBMFC), now Sansum Clinic and soon to be Sutter Health.
Modeling briefly took her to New York, but it wasn’t long before she moved back to Santa Barbara. She continued working at the SBMFC, taking on many administrative roles. But still she wanted more. “I need to do something more productive with my life,” she thought. And that’s when her co-workers convinced her to try nursing.
Upon entering the nursing program, she took one general education class per semester at SBCC, balancing her studies and work. After finishing her general education, she entered the nursing program, taking day classes and working nights. She also became a certified Ophthalmic Assistant (COA) and began working as an ophthalmology technician.
Throughout her career, she has held many different roles. After graduating from the nursing program, she became a registered nurse. She started as a pediatric and urgent care nurse, then transitioned into management and oversaw the pediatric and urgent care departments before becoming the Director of Nursing/Infection Control. When Sansum Clinic upgraded its electronic health record (EHR), Hurley was instrumental in the transition, which led her to the position of EHR (Epic) Workflow Analyst. Then, Director of Operations. Now, as the Area Director, she oversees 11 departments and five service lines at Sansum Clinic.
Since her dyslexia diagnosis, she looks at school differently, not as something to be scared of but as something to look forward to. In 2023, she graduated with her Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) through Western Governors University and is working toward her master’s degree.
Hurley also mentors nursing students at SBCC, in the very program she once attended.
Reflecting on her journey, Hurley acknowledges the profound impact of SBCC and her professors, saying, “I am eternally grateful to Santa Barbara City College.”
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