The American Health Council is proud to name Maricus Gibbs, MSN/MHA, Ph.D. to its Board of Nurses. As a registered nurse at Wake Forest Baptist Health at Lexington Medical Center in Lexington, N.C., Mr. Gibbs ensures that he provides high-quality and immediate care to his patients. While he has held that role for 10 years, he has accumulated over 20 years of skills in compassionate care, teamwork, and medical-surgical expertise in the healthcare field.

Since he was young, Mr. Gibbs knew he wanted to pursue a career in the healthcare industry. When he was 13, his uncle was admitted to a small community hospital for hospice care. Once he saw the care and dedication he received from nurses, he realized he wanted to bestow the same amount of compassion and attention onto others. He eventually enrolled at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing in 2007, along with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English. He subsequently enrolled at the University of Phoenix and earned a master’s degree in nursing and healthcare administration in 2011.

Mr. Gibbs’ prosperous career soared at Bayada Home Health Care, where he served as a registered nurse for nearly eight years. He later nestled into Wake Forest Baptist Health at Lexington Medical Center as a registered nurse, where he now works as a floor nurse in the medical-surgical unit. He receives reports from a nurse on duty, assesses each patient and decides what course of action is needed to ensure that each patient receives effective care. To enhance his work at Lexington Medical Center, Mr. Gibbs incorporates medical education into his daily routine. Additionally, he has served as a graduate teacher’s assistant at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte since 2012.

His devotion to his profession — both in nursing and in education — earned him the Teaching Assistant of the Year in Health Services Research from the university in 2014. He has garnered an impressive repertoire of accomplishments, including serving as a safety coach on his rotation floor, landing on the Dean’s List at UNC and earning admission to Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society, a prestigious organization that provides educational tools to nurses worldwide with the mission to improve health. He is a member of the North Carolina Nurses Association, an organization that serves the changing needs of its members, addresses nursing issues and advocates for the health and well-being of all people, according to its mission statement on its official website.

In his free time, Mr. Gibbs enjoys reading and traveling. He is very proud of his accomplishments as an educator, and he dedicates his time to educate minority populations on HIV/AIDS. On the path to educational success, Mr. Gibbs is currently obtaining his Ph.D. and is working on a dissertation that focuses on the infectious disease. He plans to continue to succeed in his career by working in bedside nursing in the future, as well as entering the research field using his skills and education to further help patients.