Life Transformed at Bluffton Regional Medical Center for Dedicated Employee

1/22/2025

Many people don’t consider a hospital a home but that’s exactly what Bluffton Regional Medical Center is to Riley Black. For three decades, Black has worked within the walls of BRMC starting out as an orderly when he was 16-years-old.

Bluffton Chief Administrative Officer Julie Thompson remembers when Riley first joined the hospital in 1994.

“Riley was shy and naïve to healthcare and the world actually,” said Thompson. “He was very kind, helpful, and wanted to learn about anything he could.”

It was his inquiring nature that led Black to grow, Thompson added. He would ask to learn something and they would teach him. Black went on to become a certified nursing assistant and ultimately an emergency room tech in the emergency department. In May of 2024 Thompson got to watch as Black received his registered nurses pin at a ceremony at St. Francis University.

“The day for ‘the test’ came and I received a text afterward on an update of how he thought it went, then a text a few days later asking me to look it up and validate it was correct. I called him immediately and said ‘Riley you are now a registered nurse in the state of Indiana.” Thompson doesn’t know who was more proud.

“I’ve had many opportunities in my life to do other things, but patients and the hospital that I love always bring me back,” said Black. “I even met my wife there 24 years ago.”

Service is Black’s life mission and he feels BRMC is the place for him to fulfill that mission. He thanks his team members and staff for pouring into him during and outside of work hours.

“Having hands-on experience in the past was truly beneficial, however, learning it the professional way was a task that every staff member had to show me,” said Black.

“Riley became the face of our ED, the patients loved talking to him,” said Thompson. “During all of this, I could see Riley come out of his shell to grow and learn. One thing that never changed was his kindness to staff and patients.”

One patient's family asked Black to be a pallbearer at their funeral. “I will never forget the son who stated that his mother always looked forward to seeing me in the morning and taking her around the hospital for different tests and now he wanted me to take his mom to her grave,” Black added.

“All this time, I encouraged him to keep trying as I knew that he had the heart to be a nurse. You have to have the heart to care for all patients,” said Thompson.

Black still works days at BRMC and even cared for Thompson recently with the skills he’s been honing for years. He plans to continue to grow in the ED and hopes to become a mentor to others to help them along the way.

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