A Legacy Turned into a Passion with Michelle Gray

Michelle Gray became acquainted with Children’s in a different way than most. She was first introduced to Children’s of Alabama in 1985 when her mother started working at the hospital. The first day she saw Children’s was when she went with her father to drop something off for her mother.

“I remember thinking, ‘this is so cool’. I was amazed. I think that was the best way to describe it. I had never seen a place with so much joy and something new around each corner. My mom started as a cashier and, over time, while attending school, she was able to grow within the hospital and move up through the ranks. She ended her career drawing blood and working within the lab. Her patients told her she was magic and I wanted to be a part of something magical.”

This yearning to be part of the magic pushed Michelle, fourteen years later, to follow in her mother’s footsteps and join the Children’s family in 1999.

Michelle’s Journey at Children’s

Her Children’s career started in Customer Service, and she eventually moved into Behavioral Health.  Today, she loves her job as a Behavioral Internationalist, which allows her to work with a variety of patient cases, such as misconduct cases and eating disorders.

“I love working with the kids. By working in the Behavioral Health department, I am able to use my theater background to bring out the kids’ creativity. I used to work at a theater, specifically working with kids, and loved it; but when I came here I knew this was my true passion.”

The Community Impact

“When people find out that I work at Children’s, everyone comes to me for advice or for questions about the hospital. I might not always have the answers they need, but It makes me feel like I am a part of something truly special. It also goes to show that people respect Children’s outside the hospital, within the community.”

 Life as a Behavioral Internationalist

“At Children’s, we offer many different positions within Behavioral Health. For my position as a Behavioral Internationalist, you must have a college degree and experience working with children. They want you to have experience before you join the team because Behavioral Health comes with a lot of uncertainties in regards to the patients you will interact with on a daily basis.

Each day is different, which makes it fun but a lot of work. It takes a special person to work here. One day we might have a room with an autistic child and another with conduct issues, and we have to work with both of them at the same time. In this department you must have the ability and self-awareness to take your time with each patient and be able to keep order.

It is our duty to talk and engage with the patients, especially ones that have been abused or have seen terrible things. Every one of our patients have different backgrounds and personalities, so we have to be proactive on how we spend our time with them.”

If you are a compassionate person like Michelle, and have an interest in behavioral health with an added passion of giving back to children, joining the Children’s of Alabama Behavioral Health team will be the perfect fit for you! Learn more here, and apply today!