Following in My Family’s Footsteps

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There have been a long line of nurses in my family. My mother and my oldest sister were both licensed practical nurses, and I would love to watch them get ready for work with their sparking white uniforms and shoes so shiny that you could see you face in them.

In my thinking about my own career, I knew nursing was the way to go – this way I could wear the white uniform and take care of the sick! I also knew nurses were always needed in medicine. So I started out as a nursing assistant and worked hard to make sure this was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I then went back to school to become a licensed practical nurse, and then started taking the classes to become a registered nurse.

Working as a nurse, I have become very attached to some of my patients in both the hospital and the home care settings. I have learned a lot working in my field and also by assisting other departments – we have become like a family. I love taking the time to teach my patients, assisting in their care, and feeling like I have done my part in assisting with them feeling better or just getting well.

I do encourage my co-workers to continue with their education in the medical field so they can feel the same satisfaction I do. I still love nursing after 40 years and will continue to care for, love, and support my patients and co-workers every day.

Priscilla Johnson, RN
Nephrology
Capitol Hill Medical Center, Washington, D.C.
Kaiser Permanente Mid-Atlantic States

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