Like Mother, Like Daughter: A Shared Passion for Nursing
There are a seemingly infinite number of paths that lead people to a career in nursing, but for one particular Associate at Methodist North Hospital, it started with the loss of a family member.
Gina Bryant was growing up in Cincinnati, Ohio when her older sister was diagnosed with leukemia, necessitating a move to Memphis for better treatment options. Gina spent a lot of time with her sister in the hospital to keep her company and spend time with her.
Interacting with the nurses and other healthcare workers inspired Gina to consider a career in pediatric oncology.
Gina wanted to be able to help people like her sister.
Unfortunately, Gina’s sister passed away at age 16 after a nearly 14-year battle with leukemia.
As Gina worked her way through school, she started to think about plans after graduation and how she could start her healthcare career.
“We did a tour of St. Jude during school and just all that emotion and memories, they came back to me,” Gina said recalling the time she spent with her late sister.
“I was like, ‘No, I can't do [pediatric oncology],’” she said.
The memories and loss were too painful for her to pursue that career.
This put Gina back to square one, unsure of where she would end up or what she would do after high school.
She eventually found herself working as a preschool teacher in the Memphis area, where she was able to work and raise her children.
For 14 years, Gina took care of preschoolers and would use her lunch break to have a meal with her own children at their school on Fridays. But one day, she had a realization that her children were not so little anymore and they had different and new needs now.
It made her stop to think about her own needs and what she really wanted to do.
Gina thought about what she wanted to do when she was their age and how she wanted to get into healthcare.
She started to research on ways she could work in healthcare and landed on nursing.
“I went to school full time online to get my pre reqs for nursing school done while working [at the preschool],” Gina said. “When actually starting the nursing program, I had to stop working at the school and I cleaned houses part-time during school.”
Gina said she wasn’t ready to get into the healthcare field out of high school with the memories and experiences she shared with her late sister being so fresh on her mind. But now, years later as an adult, she was ready and determined to achieve one of her life-long goals.
The same week Gina turned 40, she graduated nursing school.
“I came [to Methodist North] for my last semester of nursing school when you do your clinical rotation and I just fell in love with it. I was on the fourth floor during my rotation, and I loved it, so I wanted to stay,” she said.
“They didn't have any openings, so I ended up going to the fifth floor, which is also a med-surg unit. The culture there was just the same, everybody was very welcoming, fabulous,” she said.
Gina quickly worked her way through different positions, excelling in every role along the way. She would come home and share stories about the impact she was making with patients, which started to resonate with her daughter, Bailey.
Bailey was about to start college at the University of Memphis and was unsure of what kind of degree she wanted to pursue.
“Once Mom got into [nursing] and she would tell her stories, not all of them made me want to do it, but most of them did,” Bailey said with a lighthearted laugh.
Hearing how much Gina loved the people at Methodist North and how much of a family they were made Bailey realize nursing could be a great career path for her too.
She got through the nursing program and worked at Methodist North as a patient care assistant (PCA) and an extern before landing on the step-down unit.
“Even though Methodist is a big corporation, I feel like North is smaller and feel like once you know one person then you know everybody,” Bailey said, noting the strong culture and familial atmosphere fostered within the system.
After taking two unique paths into nursing, Bailey and Gina have now been with Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare for five and 10 years, respectively. Their skills and patient care have proved to be invaluable to MLH.
These two women have a special bond that few understand or get to experience.
After hard and difficult days, they listen to each other with the empathy of a nurse and talk with the unspoken understanding that comes from being mother and daughter.
And in the rare instance they can’t help each other, they lean on their dogs, Maggie and Zeke to put a smile on their face.
But the best byproduct of their shared experience is they get to recreate those Friday lunches they used to share together when Bailey was in grade school.
“We still can eat lunch together some days,” Bailey said. “It might not be McDonald's or Subway like we used to always get, but we can eat 30 minutes together and just talk about things.”
Seeing Bailey become such a great nurse has brought Gina immense pride.
“I don't think anything could make me happier. Seeing her succeed as a nurse has been amazing,” Gina said. “She goes above and beyond for [her patients]. She goes home and she knows that they like something, she'll go to the store and get something, bring it back for them the next day. I've been able to talk to some of her patients, and the way they talk about her and the care that she gives, it just makes me so proud. So proud,” Gina said smiling, with tears welling up in her eyes.
The path Gina took to become a nurse has not only inspired her daughter but has undoubtedly touched the lives of countless more.
To consider a career in nursing with Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare, please visit MLH Nursing Jobs to learn more.
