For Pat, 72, nursing began not with a dream, but with a need. When her husband was diagnosed with cancer, Pat found herself navigating an uncertain future for her family. She and her three young children spent countless hours in the hospital over the course of two years. Watching the care her husband received opened Pat’s eyes to a new career path that would help her support her family. As Pat recalled, "All I focused on is that I had to support my children, and that seemed like the best way to do it." At 40 years old, she earned her nursing degree and began her career at what was then Antelope Valley Hospital, which spanned over three decades.
Pat’s daughter, Terryl, 52, watched that journey unfold firsthand. Inspired by the nurses who cared for her father and by her mother's determination to start a new career, Terryl followed the same path. At the age of 14 she became a candy striper and later enrolled in nursing school at age 22. "Watching my mom go through all that and then seeing the pride that she was experiencing, I decided I was going to go to nursing school, and I did." With 8 years of dedicated service, Terryl now leads clinical operations as House Supervisor at Antelope Valley Medical Center.
Years later, Terryl's daughters, Amanda, 25, and Tayler, 31, would find themselves walking that same path. No one ever told them they had to become nurses. In fact, both considered other careers. However, they grew up hearing their grandmother's nursing stories and watched their mother leave for work with purpose. They saw firsthand the security and fulfillment nursing brought to their family. Pat emphasizes, "I can't say that I encouraged them," to which Terryl replied, "You never said I had to be (a nurse), but I think you led the way." For Tayler, watching her mother was often inspiration enough. "She just knows everything, and I want to be like that," Tayler said.
One lesson that carried through all three generations was that nursing is rewarding, but it is not easy. Pat described it as "the most rewarding job that I've ever had," while also acknowledging that it doesn't simply turn off when you go home. Terryl spoke openly about the realities of burnout, encouraging nurses to step back, reset, and find joy outside of work. "We nurses tend to become our work deeply," she said, stressing the importance of balance and self-care. Amanda personally experienced that struggle while working full-time and attending nursing school. Amanda recalls feeling “on autopilot” and “like a zombie,” but pushed through moments of doubt by reminding herself, “I’ve gotten this far. There’s no way I can give up now.”
Today, Amanda and Tayler serve as registered nurses in the Emergency Department at Antelope Valley Medical Center, the same hospital where their mother and grandmother built their nursing careers. Together, they represent three generations of nurses and a family deeply connected to healthcare. Looking back on it all, Terryl perhaps summarized it best: "Nursing has truly been a family calling for us." What began as one mother's determination to support her children has grown into a tradition of compassion, service, and care.
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