Tag: family

A Calling Fulfilled: My Journey into Nursing
By Genera Gilliam

I’ve wanted to be a nurse for as long as I can remember. My mother often told me that when I was just a small child, I sat beside my great-grandmother on her bed, and she looked at me and said, “You’re going to make a great nurse someday.” That moment planted a seed in my heart that never stopped growing.

After high school, I had everything in place to attend Northeast Mississippi Community College. But life took a different turn—I chose to get married instead. Over the next few years, I worked a variety of jobs, never staying in one place for long and never finding fulfillment. I was restless and deeply unhappy.

Six years later, everything changed. I had been a stay-at-home mom for 19 months, caring for my twin sons who were born prematurely at just 33 weeks. At that time, neonatal care wasn’t as advanced, and both boys faced serious medical challenges. Those early months were filled with fear, prayer, and perseverance—but they also reignited a fire in me. I felt a deep conviction, a burden from God, that I had not followed the path I was meant to take.

When I applied to LPN school, I was turned down—told outright that having toddlers at home was the reason. But I didn’t let that stop me. I applied to Northeast and was accepted.

Now, after 34 years in nursing, I can say with complete certainty: this is the career I was born for. I’ve never looked back, and I would do it all over again.

My journey has taken me through 18 years in hospital settings—working in Labor & Delivery, ICU/Stepdown, surgery, and 13 years as a nurse manager. I’ve also spent 5 years in home hospice, 2 in private duty, and the last 10 in home health, with the past 9 years at NMMC.

To me, nursing isn’t just a profession—it’s a calling. It’s not just what I do. It’s who I am.