My Path to Nursing

Like most journeys, my path to nursing was not linear. In many ways, nursing found me.

I had the privilege of growing up in a household — and within a family history — deeply rooted in medicine and service. My family included researchers, physicians, veterinarians, educators, and healthcare leaders. Healthcare conversations were not uncommon around our table, and from an early age, I witnessed the many ways people dedicate their lives to caring for others.

My father began his career in medical school before ultimately transitioning into healthcare administration. He became a visionary leader and an exceptional strategic planner. Through him, I was exposed not only to medicine itself, but to the profound impact that healthcare systems, leadership, and thoughtful decision-making have on entire communities. I watched how the decisions he and his organization made affected employees, patients, families, and the broader community — people like you and me.

One of the most inspiring experiences was witnessing the creation of a Children’s Hospital. To see an idea grow into something that would ultimately serve and care for countless children and families was extraordinary. It showed me that healthcare extends far beyond the bedside. It is advocacy, innovation, leadership, compassion, and building systems that help people feel seen, supported, and cared for during some of the most vulnerable moments of their lives.

Throughout my childhood and early adulthood, I shadowed my father and many healthcare professionals. I had opportunities to attend conferences with my dad and travel to different parts of the United States and the world. Those experiences broadened my perspective tremendously. I was able to observe how different cultures function, how communities care for one another, and how healthcare systems vary across regions and countries. It taught me early on that healthcare is deeply personal, shaped not only by medicine, but by culture, communication, family, resources, and human connection.

Ironically, despite being surrounded by healthcare my entire life, I initially convinced myself nursing was not for me.

While shadowing a nurse in high school, I watched a child endure a painful procedure. I could not separate the diagnosis from the emotional weight of what that child was experiencing, and I nearly passed out. I remember thinking, “If this is nursing, I’m not cut out for this. I’m not strong enough.”

So instead, I threw myself into the world of business and marketing. Leadership, organization, strategy, and systems thinking came naturally to me — likely because I had watched those skills modeled by my father for years.

I decided to pursue a Business Administration degree at University of Tennessee, where I also met my husband. After graduation, we moved to Atlanta, and I began working as an intern in the fundraising department at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. I genuinely enjoyed every aspect of the work, but I found myself continually inspired and in awe of the healthcare providers who were hands-on with patient care every day. Their compassion, skill, and presence stayed with me.

My husband and I quickly realized city life was not for us. We were much more “country mice” at heart. During that transition, I also realized I needed to deeply reflect on what I truly wanted in a career and where I felt called to make an impact. In my heart, I knew my impact would be greater in healthcare as a nurse.

I returned home and began taking prerequisite courses at Pellissippi State Community College before transferring into the BSN program at Tennessee Wesleyan University. I loved everything about Tennessee Wesleyan. There was a huge emphasis on hands-on clinical skills paired with phenomenal academics. I immersed myself in the world of nursing and quickly fell in love with it.

Very early on, I became fascinated with the brain and neurology. I was enthralled by how every aspect of the brain affects a person physically, emotionally, cognitively, and mentally. During nursing school, I began working as a nurse extern on a neuro step-down unit, and I absolutely fell in love with it. I cared for patients with strokes, brain tumors, neurological disorders, palliative and hospice needs, and countless other complex conditions. I was never bored and learned something new every single day.

Wanting to continue growing, I pursued experience at a Level I trauma center and Magnet-designated hospital by working on an ortho-trauma step-down unit. That experience taught me so much. I learned how to effectively manage pain, prioritize care for multiple critically ill patients, and develop strong time management skills. I also learned how profoundly family dynamics impact a patient’s healing and outcomes. Some home situations supported recovery beautifully, while others created additional barriers and challenges.

I loved collaborating with residents. They were eager to hear nursing perspectives, and I was equally eager to learn from them. I also had access to incredible educational resources through the hospital system, which fueled my love for continuing education and lifelong learning.

During this season, I also began a long and emotionally draining journey with infertility. It was heartbreaking and stressful, but my coworkers became like family. Their support carried me through some incredibly difficult days. Even during that time, I knew I needed to continue growing my skills and knowledge as a nurse.

Eventually, I transferred within the same hospital system to the PACU and recovery room. Most of our patients were same-day surgery patients, though some required hospitalization afterward. Again, I developed deeper knowledge in pain management while learning to carefully monitor vital signs, postoperative complications, and both verbal and nonverbal communication cues.

Then after three long years, everything changed.

I finally became pregnant — with multiples.

I remember that day vividly. After our ultrasound appointment, I drove to work knowing this was simultaneously one of the greatest blessings and one of the most overwhelming moments of my life. I knew this would be a high-risk pregnancy, and I worried it might also mean stepping away from a nursing career I loved deeply.

As it turns out, being a nurse and having multiples prepared me for one another beautifully. I quickly learned how to juggle and manage the needs of three very different children with unique personalities, developmental needs, and health considerations. Those experiences would later help me navigate educational systems, therapies, advocacy, and the complexities of parenting children with differing needs.

When my children were about 18 months old and began daycare, I was presented with an amazing opportunity to work in a day surgery center PACU. Those coworkers and physicians became mentors and family to me. I gained a comprehensive understanding of the entire surgical process, from pre-op preparation to recovery and discharge.

Then came 2020.

COVID changed everything in an instant.

During that season, I eventually transitioned into working in a pediatric office — my first experience outside of the hospital setting. I found an incredible practice that expanded not only my pediatric knowledge, but also my understanding of how outpatient offices function compared to hospitals. It was so rewarding to watch children grow over time and build long-term relationships with families.

I also developed a deep appreciation for the immense responsibilities providers carry outside the hospital setting. They manage enormous patient volumes, endless coordination, administrative burdens, and ongoing patient needs behind the scenes that many people never see.

Still, I felt God continually tugging on my heart to step outside my comfort zone once again. Around that same time, I also needed a second job to help support additional family expenses. A homecare company reached out to me, and I decided to take a leap of faith into homecare nursing.

That experience changed my life.

In homecare, families and patients quickly become like your own family. I learned to become resourceful in entirely new ways. Working in a patient’s home — without the immediate resources of a hospital or physician office — requires immense critical thinking, adaptability, creativity, independence, and resourcefulness. Every previous nursing experience I had built upon itself and prepared me for homecare nursing. I truly could not have done it well without every lesson learned along the way.

Over the years, nursing has taught me so much beyond clinical skills.

It taught me that continuing education does not always come through advanced degrees alone — sometimes it comes through years of hands-on bedside experience and learning directly from patients, families, coworkers, and life itself.

It taught me that great nurse managers and coworkers can make all the difference, especially during hard seasons.

It taught me that humor can carry you through incredibly difficult days.

It taught me that time management, long-term planning, and seeing the “big picture” for every patient can make or break care.

It taught me that the desire to never stop learning is what keeps nurses growing.

It taught me to find something meaningful in every patient interaction, even in difficult circumstances.

And perhaps most importantly, it taught me that flexibility within nursing careers matters deeply. Flexible opportunities allow experienced nurses to continue contributing their wisdom and skills — especially at the bedside — during different seasons of life.

I hope my journey encourages someone else to keep going, to stay curious, to embrace growth, and to never give up on bedside nursing.

Because sometimes the path that finds you becomes the one you were always meant to walk.