RUSSELL — Martha Rucker firmly believes she is in the place she’s supposed to be.

The 36-year-old Rucker is one of two full-time chaplains at Our Lady of Bellefonte Hospital, a compassionate woman with a heart for patients and a love of community.

Her path to working here wasn’t something she worked out in advance. It was more of a God thing.

“Really, it wasn’t this great moment or epiphany of ‘This is where I need to be,’” Rucker said. “It kind of just fell into place. When I got here, I did realize this is exactly where I need to be.”

Rucker was familiar with the area because she had done her clinical residency at Cabell Huntington Hospital more than 10 years ago. However, she and her husband moved back to Florida in the late 1990s.

Rucker’s husband, Dennis, is retired from the U.S. Air Force. It was through his insistence that Rucker began pursuing her career as a full-time chaplain, she said.

“I was home on maternity leave and he was like ‘When are you going to do this?’ So I started putting my resume out nationwide ... and didn’t hear from anybody,” Rucker said.

It was through Rucker’s work at Cabell earlier that she eventually came to OLBH. Sharon McDonald, who has been a chaplain at OLBH for 14 years, was speaking to someone at Cabell about looking for a full-time chaplain and Rucker’s former supervisor there gave them her name.

“Bellefonte called me, I interviewed, and after several months decided to come here,” she said. “When I got here, I knew this was exactly where I needed to be. The small setting, family-type atmosphere, it was perfect.”

Rucker said her husband was the driving force behind the career move.

“He said ‘It’s about your career. I had mine.’”

Dennis was a stay-at-home dad for a while with their son, Ethan, who is now 4. But with Ethan starting school, Dad is going back to school to be a paramedic.

Meanwhile, Martha Rucker is enjoying her life as a chaplain at OLBH.

“It is so holy, such holy work,” she said.

Rucker is well-prepared for the job, being a certified chaplain through a national organization.

McDonald said being a certified chaplain is no small task. “This is a big thing,” McDonald said. “She’s the only chaplain certified with a national organization in eastern Kentucky.”

McDonald said Rucker’s arrival has been a godsend for the hospital and her.

“She’s a good listener, compassionate and brings a lot of energy and has a strong commitment to patients and staff,” McDonald said. “That’s an important thing. It’s not just a job, it’s a calling.”

Rucker’s energetic attitude and fresh ideas have been welcomed by staff members, McDonald said. Since her arrival, the hospital has provided a memorial service for cancer patients.

“Martha is hungry for knowledge, education and training,” she said. “She’s quite well-educated in death and dying. As far as nursing, she’s able to help educate our staff and others with that.”

Rucker starts the day at OLBH with a morning prayer. She then pulls up a census of patients and begins making visits where necessary.

“If there are any codes or deaths, we respond to all of that, too,” she said.

While every day is different, Rucker has found that most of her days are a blessing as well. She recalled talking to a terminal patient who had three children. “The faith that this man portrayed, it was such a holy experience,” she sad. “It reminded me to enjoy the most simple things in life because he’s noticing them all.”

Being a female chaplain hasn’t really raised any eyebrows, she said.

“Some people have looked at my badge and they say ‘You’re a reverend?’” said Rucker, who graduated from Lexington Theological Seminary.

Rucker, who grew up in Ocala, Fla., lives with her family in Grayson. They attend church at Madison Avenue Christian Church in Huntington. She likes the small-town feel but also the many offerings of the Ashland area.

“Summer Motion, the Paramount (Arts Center) ... there is so much going on there,” she said. “Being in Ocala recently, Ashland reminds me a lot of being home. That comfort, that feeling of safety. If somebody had told me I’d end up in Ashland, Ky., I’d have said ‘You’re crazy.’ But I’m happy to be here and happy to be at Bellefonte. It’s a great place to work, it really is. There’s opportunity, potential for personal growth and personal development. I’m challenged here and I like that.”

MARK MAYNARD can be reached at mmaynard@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2648.