Farm Ethic Translates to Nursing Career
A green thumb is not the only trait Petersen credits to growing up on a farm. “I learned a really good work ethic,” she said. “We were always busy, always working. My job was taking care of the calves in the hutches, to make sure they had food and water. We milked 100 cows twice a day – 5 a.m. and 5 p.m. When we were not milking, we were cleaning the barns or feeding cattle or out in the field cutting hay. To this day, I think alfalfa hay is my favorite smell.”
This work ethic served Petersen well when she started nursing school at Presentation College in Aberdeen. “Nursing school is not easy, but I knew it was the right path for me when I did clinicals, and I was actually face-to-face with people and seeing the impact I had as a nurse.”
After graduation, Petersen spent the first six years of her nursing career working on the medical floor of Avera St. Luke's Hospital in Aberdeen. “On the medical floor, you work nights, you work holidays, you work days – the shifts are 12 hours, so they are long, but you get into a rhythm of things and, especially nights.
“You learn how to do just about everything – how to be a secretary, because secretaries don’t work nights. How to be an aide, because sometimes at night, you do not have as many aides as during the day. How to admit patients coming in from the ER – so then during the day, you are a good resource,” Petersen said.
Leadership Lessons From Honeybees
Understanding multiple roles and responsibilities is essential to Petersen’s current position of nurse manager. Petersen joined the Avera oncology team in 2013 and became nurse manager in 2021.
In this role she is responsible for the medical oncology staff; communication, coordination and efficiencies between departments; and resolving patient and team member complaints.
In all that she does, Petersen works to remain calm and ensure that the team understands that she cares.
“It is important to me that my team feels comfortable coming to me when they need help with something,” Petersen said. “I may be the nurse manager, but I am a nurse too. I have worked alongside them, and I know what it is like when something goes wrong.”
In addition to her flowers, Petersen also cares for a colony of honeybees. “Honeybees are pretty incredible,” Petersen said, explaining the honeybees pollinate her flowers and produce honey – in 2025 her hive produced 10 gallons of honey. And they are good teachers; Petersen explained that she learns a lot just watching her bees.
“They are so intelligent and very organized. Within a hive is an entire world,” Petersen said. “A while back I was talking about my bees with a patient who was also a beekeeper and he shared an experience I think of often. He was cleaning his hives, and when he got to the last hive, the bees in that hive started attacking him and stinging him.
“He had read that the tone of the hive is based on the pheromones the queen emits. So, he got rid of that hive’s queen and got a different queen. The whole hive calmed down and changed. I think this is very telling about life. If I am calm and level-headed, even when there are fires to put out, my team can remain calm.”
