Most people are surprised to learn that Crystal Martin has worked at Centra for almost twenty years! Currently serving as the Clinical Navigator for Centra’s stroke program, she is responsible for educating our stroke patient population as well as ensuring they have proper follow-up after their initial hospital stay.
Fresh out of high school, Crystal started at Centra in 2005 as a nursing aide in the skilled nursing department that was located at Virginia Baptist Hospital. She continued her education at Centra College and graduated with her associate’s degree in nursing in 2015. After passing her boards in February 2016, she began her nursing journey on the Neuro Intermediate Care Unit where she was a bedside nurse, charge nurse and lead preceptor.
Crystal also trained in the Neuro Critical Care Unit and picked up shifts as needed. In 2022, while caring for her grandfather who had Alzheimer’s Disease, she completed her bachelor’s degree in nursing, and finished the Centra College program in December directly after he had passed away two months earlier.
In December 2022, Crystal made the decision to move away from the bedside and took on a role in case management. While she enjoyed what she did in case management, Crystal explained, “I really missed neuro.” When she found out the Clinical Navigator position was open, she applied and accepted the job in August 2023.
She went on to remark, “I don’t believe I will leave this position because caring for neuro patients and ensuring patient’s receive excellent stroke care is truly rewarding.”
In her current role, Crystal is responsible for facilitating the stroke survivor group and many other things to ensure our patients are receiving excellent stroke care both in the inpatient and outpatient setting. One of these “many other things” is facilitating the Advanced Stroke Life Support Class in partnership with Kellie Maberry from Centra’s Central Virginia Center for Simulation and Virtual Learning.
This class which was cofounded by the American Heart Association and the Gordon Center, is a hybrid course that blends online learning with a hands-on skills session that simulates real stroke emergencies using manikins and standardized patients. Centra began offering the course in January 2025 and is the first healthcare system in Virginia to offer it to both Caregivers and the public.
The in-person aspect of the course which Crystal facilitates equips participants to recognize stroke syndromes, determine stroke type and initiate appropriate treatment. Additionally, it teaches how to identify stroke mimics to avoid misdiagnoses. While nurses and providers have been the primary participants thus far, “We’d love for EMS teams or any other Caregiver who might care for a stroke patient to take the course as well,” expressed Crystal. Given the depth and critical nature of the material, recertification is required every two years to ensure continued competency and familiarity with evolving best practices.
Along with teaching the ASLS class, Crystal also runs a support group for stroke survivors. Each month she creates an agenda for the group which typically starts off with introductions. Held within Acute Rehab, there are often many stroke survivors that are new to recovery and uncertain of what to expect. The “stroke veterans” are always there to provide their stories and encourage new survivors that there is still life after stroke.
Within the meeting, the group discusses depression, setting goals and sometimes Crystal reads an excerpt from a stroke survivor book that offers inspirational stories and poems written by stroke veterans. Crystal shared, “We have one veteran that is truly an inspiration and has written a song to go along with recovery. It always brings laughter to the group!”
The most common challenge that stroke survivors face is the uncertainty of what to expect from recovery and the depression that can emerge along with it. Depression plays a significant role in recovery and stroke survivors have a high prevalence of it. “The best thing we can do for our survivors is help identify the symptoms and treat them, letting depression go unnoticed can hinder their recovery,” explained Crystal.
The Centra Team works to foster a sense of community among survivors by providing the setting for these conversations to happen. Stroke survivors are a community of their own and new survivors and veteran survivors are there to assist each other in their recovery and deal with the emotions and uncertainties of recovery.
“The team at Acute Rehab works hard to assist in the patient’s recovery but they support the patient’s family as well. In group, the Acute Rehab staff is often there to assist in communicating what the patient has been going through and our veterans offer a sense of camaraderie and connection to better understand what life is after stroke,” noted Crystal.
There is no doubt that the group has continued to benefit patients. Crystal remembers one patient who was struggling with recovery and not being able to do the things they used to do. She explained how coming to group and communicating with other survivors helped them find a sense of clarity and understanding that recovery is not a race. Each survivor must take one day at a time. What they did before may seem different, but they can continue to set goals in recovery and achieve them. Fortunately, neuroplasticity allows our brain to build new pathways to assist in recovery, but stroke survivors cannot give up–they must be their own cheerleader to walk the road through recovery.
When we asked Crystal what her favorite part of her job is, she shared, “If I had to pick one thing, my favorite part of my job is educating patients and calling to check on them post stroke treatment. It is truly rewarding to know that the care we provide our community produces excellent outcomes, and most patients can return home at their baseline or are working towards their new normal through the rehab services we offer along with their own determination.”
Crystal insisted she cannot live without her family. Her husband and her mom are her best friends, and she could not go a day without speaking to them. She and her husband enjoy outdoor activities with their two boys, such as camping, fishing and kayaking. Her oldest son is graduating high school in May and plans to go into plumbing while their youngest son is a comical mess that always keeps them laughing.
Whether facilitating a support group, teaching a class to help her fellow Caregivers provide advanced care to patients or spending time with her family, it’s clear that Crystal cares deeply about others. We’re so thankful that she’s a part of the Centra Team!
