Laramie brings compassion, kindness and energy
'We're on a mission from God.'
Even though that's a quote from the classic, fictional 'Blues Brothers' flick, when interviewing McDonough District Hospital's relatively new Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) Wayne Laramie, that infamous movie line just seemed to sum up Laramie's life and his career. Especially since the lone boy among his four sisters growing up in a tightknit Midwestern family, thought his career path was predetermined early on as a priest. It was during a mandatory community service requirement through his preparatory seminary high school that kept him on that 'mission from God,' albeit on a slightly different path than the priesthood.
'In high school, I had that calling to be a priest, which I think is every Catholic mother's dream for their son. During my senior year, I spent my two weeks community service in a new nursing home down the street from our home, and I remember after my first week of my service, I knew I'd be going into nursing instead,' Laramie said. 'I had a real love for geriatrics, and the helping aspect just sucked me in. I realized I could touch just as many lives, if not more.'
Laramie joined MDH's administrative team in April 2025, following the retirement of longtime CNO Wanda Foster. Laramie jokes that he's doing Foster's job 'without the heels' and it's his goal to continue her 'passion for nursing and her incredible legacy at MDH.'
His start in nursing; however, did not come easy.
Laramie, who attended St.
Mary's College in O'Fallon, was one of three men out of class of 100 nurse hopefuls … and he was the only one of the three males who actually ended up graduating with a nursing degree.
'My first clinical rotation was actually in an ob-gyn department. So here I was, an 18-year-old male watching babies being born and teaching new mothers to learn how to breastfeed. That was a challenge in and of itself, but the biggest challenge I had was my clinical instructor who told me that 'men don't belong in nursing,'' he shared. 'But the 11 other nurses, all women, who I was working beside told me that she was all wrong and they were going to help me get through that rotation.'
Fast forward two years later, that same instructor was the person who had to acknowledge Laramie's completion of the program, as she was the one who had to actually lead the traditional 'pinning ceremony.'
'I told her karma was coming back to bite her,' he said with a laugh.
And five years later, that karma bite happened in a most serendipitous way when that same instructor was looking to pick up a few extra shifts in the ICU department at DePaul Hospital in St.
Louis. Guess who the ICU day charge nurse was?
'I was the one who had to lead her through the hospital's orientation,' Laramie said, again with a chuckle.
'Halfway through day one of the orientation, I got to tell her that she wasn't following the unit's rules and pointed out what she needed to do.
She told me this wasn't going to work out, so she moved on. Be careful who you tread on and tromp on as they come up because you just never know.'
Even today, male nurses only make up 12 percent of the nursing population in the United States. He noted that stereotypes still exist that it's a 'female profession,' and men in these roles might not be seen as 'masculine' as it's still not considered a profession for males.
'I don't know why this profession is not seeing more males. The salaries and benefits are great, and the jobs are available anywhere,' he added. 'The 'Church of Nursing' has many different pews to choose from. There are no shortages of experiences, your continuing education is paid for and the options are unlimited. I really try to get out there and talk about this at the middle school and high school level as a career for anyone. I want to be a role model for future nurses, especially young men who are considering this as a career.'
These experiences shaped Laramie's attitude toward service, leadership and learning, which he thinks has made him into an administrator who has his team's backs and works to ensure they're satisfied in their work and are successful. He has remembered this over the years, and noted that he wouldn't ask his staff to do anything he wouldn't himself do. While at DePaul and the other six hospitals in the SSM Healthcare System in St. Louis, he worked in numerous departments, including orthopedic surgery, telemetry, emergency services and intensive care.
'I'd move to a different department every two or three years. I'd get restless and want to learn more in other areas,' Laramie pointed out. 'And it was nice because I was always asked if I was interested in a position. I didn't have to interview because they knew my work ethic and my commitment.'
It was that drive and dedication that earned him notice for his first administrative position with the SSM system. One of the hospital's ER departments needed a team leader and Laramie was tapped for that role. At first, he said 'no' to the opportunity because he thought that meant 60 hours of grueling admin work for 40 hours of pay. It was a CNO he cherished that got him to change his mind.
'Today, of my 40-year nursing career, 25 of those years have been in administration in some form because she talked me into that first administrative job,' he said.
'Those earlier experiences, along with my clinical knowledge, I think really help me to support our caregiving team.
I think I do a really good job going above and beyond, and the 'thank you's' I've received over the years reflect that.
'I see myself as a servant leader,' Laramie added. 'I'll still throw on scrubs and help where it's needed, and to help relieve staff.'
Laramie also credits his wife, Shari; daughter, Brittney; his four sisters, and of course, his mother, for making him be a better man, which again, he attributes to his career success over the years. The first-generation college student had the support of both of his parents, both of whom are still living in Missouri, when he chose nursing as his career, and they continue to believe in the work he does. Following his graduation from St.
Mary's College, he continued his education at Maryville University in St. Louis, receiving his Bachelor of Science in Nursing, and then an MBA from Lindenwood University in St. Charles, MO.
'I still attend symposiums and courses. I love lifelong learning,' Laramie stressed. 'I have a zillion accreditations, and I want my staff to know that I'm clinically strong and I'm more than willing to help guide them to be successful.'
Laramie spent 25 years with the SSM Healthcare System in Missouri, but then the 'empty nest syndrome' took hold and he and Shari were trying to decide what was next for them as Brittney was living on the East Coast in Annapolis and son, Nathan, was working in the Lake of the Ozarks.
The couple decided to pack up and move to All Saints Hospital in Racine, WI, where Laramie's former SSM Chief Operating Officer had moved to take over, and he tapped Laramie for the hospital's CNO position. The Laramies made Racine their home for four years, but then the hospital's administrative structure was changed, which was going to lead to a position change as well, so he found himself looking for his next opportunity. That was the start of his Illinois nursing administrative career.
'We landed in Rockford where I worked as the CNO for OSF St. Anthony's for almost four years,' Laramie said. 'Later, a new president was coming in and Shari and I knew we wanted to start heading back toward Missouri to be closer to family, so I had the opportunity to train a new CNO so the new president and new CNO would be starting together, and I was fortunate to join the MDH team.
'We love small towns as we both grew up in small towns, but we had no idea where Macomb was,' he added with a smile. 'But we knew we wanted to get back to our roots in a smaller community. The people in these communities are so kind; that's what makes small towns so wonderful.'
Laramie has jumped right into Macomb living, including getting involved in the community outside of work, much like he's done in the other places they've called home. He's becoming a member of the Macomb Noon Rotary Club and has joined the Chamber of Commerce member (and enjoys the Chamber's after-hours events). As an avid golfer, Laramie enjoys living at Woodland Estates and hitting the links at the Macomb Country Club, along with his wife who is learning the game. He's also a sports fan, so he's looking forward to catching the WIU Leathernecks events, he said. When Laramie's not working, the couple travel as often as they can to the East Coast to see their daughter, son-in-law and light-of-their-life, their one-year-old granddaughter, Siena, and make trips to the Lake of the Ozarks to visit their son.
What's clear when talking to the newest member of the MDH admin team is how much Laramie loves what he does, but what's even more crystal clear is just how much he loves his family.
'Shari and I have been married for 37 years, and she is my angel. I'm nice and I'm kind, but she is over the top.
She's the complete package,' he said. 'She has always been beside me and why I've been so successful. She keeps me balanced. I'm whole because of her.'
That love for his family and what they mean to him carries over in his work. As Laramie put it, he thinks it's everyone's responsibility to 'create a little bit of heaven on Earth.'
'I try to do that every day by being kind and serving others. I love random acts of kindness and I want my team, our staff, to know how much they mean to me and how much I appreciate what they do. It's my job to make sure they know they're amazing,' he expressed.
'There's not a single day that I don't feel grateful for what I have and for getting up and going to work. I'm an owner, not a renter. All my chips are in and you get all of me. My best years are yet to come and I plan to have some of those best years right here at MDH.'
