Vanderbilt University Hospital’s Erik Glover, BSN, RN, thrives when faced with a challenge.
That’s why he loves the nonstop pace and variety of care he provides for patients who come to the hospital’s C-Pod, the adult emergency department stepdown unit.
The unit operates on a blended emergency department and inpatient stepdown care model, so patients with a wide range of diagnoses and acuity are cared for, and often every bed is filled.
One person might be awaiting surgical repair of a broken limb, while another might be receiving treatment for a serious asthma attack. In another room, an individual might be in the unit due to a concerning side effect from a recent cancer treatment.
Managing his patients’ care and responding efficiently and effectively to their needs, while also staying on top of bed flow as intensive care unit space opens or patients are discharged, means there is never a dull moment on the job for Glover.
“The majority of the days we have up to 48 patients, that’s including our 33 rooms and 15 hallway beds,” Glover said. “I love it because you see everything. Also, we have to be cross-trained very early on. The C-Pod has given me experience with so many different specialties. You also learn a lot about bed flow. C-Pod is really crucial to the hospital’s operation.”
Intricate logistics
Glover’s love of challenges also explains why his eyes light up as he recounts the intricate logistics involved in moving thousands of gallons of fuel in a military convoy down busy Los Angeles freeways. This is part of a massive, real-world training exercise of the U.S. Army Reserve known as the Quartermaster Liquid Logistics Exercise (QLLEX). And it’s just one activity Glover has been involved in as part of his service in the Army Reserve.
“It’s pretty nerve-racking because it’s real fuel,” he explained. “And its millions of dollars lost if you mess up. My superior was not able to make it to the exercise, so I had to step into an 04 position (equal to rank of major) as an 02 (equal to rank of 1st lieutenant). I had colonels from the brigade calling me during the exercise.”
The fuel was safely transported, delivered and dispensed, and the mission was successful.
Glover, who will soon be turning 30, has now been named the commander of the 212th Transportation Company of the Army Reserve, a unit with detachments in Nashville and Chattanooga. The 212th executes the movement of large quantities of supplies, troops and equipment, and coordinates, controls and supervises logistical systems that support major military operations or vital combat service support.
Capt. Glover’s command is a two-year assignment. The unit is assigned 180 soldiers, and currently, 60 soldiers are deployed in Syria to support military operations there.
Glover said his military service perfectly complements his career as a VUH nurse. Although his eight-year military commitment is complete in May 2026, Glover said he “will stay in until it’s no longer doable” with his life. He’s able to balance his military responsibilities with his nursing career but realizes there might come a day when advances in his nursing career or his military rank and responsibilities could change that.
A leader and an advocate
“I feel like the military has made me very comfortable with being a leader and an advocate,” Glover said. “I spoke up a good bit on C-Pod early on, and one of our charge nurses suggested I join our nursing staff council. At the beginning of this year, I was asked to be chair, and that’s a three-year commitment. Also, my business administration degree and having administrative roles in the military, from age 22 until now, have given me a lot of experience that’s all applicable here.”
His supervisor, Taryn Atchley, MSN, RN, nurse manager for C-Pod, has witnessed Glover’s strengths that serve him well as he cares for patients and collaborates with team members.
“I am incredibly proud to have Erik as part of my team,” she said. “His military background has produced a strong sense of discipline, structure and leadership qualities that help him succeed in the C-Pod environment. Erik communicates with clarity and purpose, ensuring that his messages are both thorough and impactful.
“His ability to stay organized and consider multiple perspectives allows him to navigate complex situations with insight. Most importantly, Erik is deeply committed to continuous learning and professional growth, consistently seeking opportunities to expand his skills and leadership capabilities. He is a true asset to our team and a rising leader in our department.”
Balancing military duties with health care is familiar to Glover. He grew up as an Army brat, moving to several bases in the U.S. and abroad as his father, now retired, achieved the rank of colonel and served as an Army medical officer. After retirement, his father was a hospital director for the Department of Veterans Affairs.
“I didn’t think I was going to follow in my dad’s footsteps, but somehow I keep following,” Glover laughed.
Not an expected path
After graduating from high school in El Paso, Texas, Glover attended Texas Tech University in Lubbock to complete a business management degree on an Army ROTC scholarship. He soon discovered that the infantry-centric ROTC experience — or as he put it, lying in the grass with a weapon for 10+ hours — was not something he enjoyed.
He wanted to be doing something he knew would have “lasting value,” and he was conflicted about the path he was on. The summer leading into his senior year of college, he participated in Advanced Camp, the largest annual training event for the U.S. Army. He was at Fort Knox with thousands of college students for a grueling 36-day assessment.
It was there that he learned from a fellow cadet that he could opt into the Army Reserve and pursue a nursing career, something that felt like a better fit for him. He returned to college and completed additional science courses, and after earning his business degree, he was accepted into the Texas Tech nursing program.
When the university opened a campus in Mansfield, just outside Dallas, Glover transferred there to better focus on his studies. He graduated in 2022. Close college friends who now live in Nashville encouraged him to apply for a nursing job at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. When he interviewed for the C-Pod, he was hooked.
When Glover moved to Tennessee in December 2022, he was serving as an officer for an Army Reserve battalion based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He flew there once a month for duty, but he wanted to find a closer unit. He transferred to an Indiana unit, three hours from Nashville.
In May, he received a call from his battalion commander asking if he’d be interested in taking command of the 212th Transportation Company. Glover saw the unit was well staffed with exciting potential, and he accepted the offer. He assumed his new command during a change of command ceremony earlier this year witnessed by his fellow soldiers, family and friends.
Glover’s path to where he is today wasn’t entirely what he expected, but he’s OK with that.
“I ended up following a course I wouldn’t necessarily have picked for myself, but it’s pretty evident to me that I ended up exactly where I needed to be,” he said.
