Spotlight On

Growing up the youngest of three sisters in Laurel, Mississippi, Darlene Murdock remembers well the values her mother instilled in her from childhood: always do your best, don’t worry about what other people say about you, and work hard.

As a teenager, Kristy Wheeler grew up watching “ER,” the 15-season NBC medical drama that followed the lives of emergency room staff at a fictional Chicago hospital. The show resonated with her so much so that Wheeler decided to pursue a career as a surgical technologist.

Growing up on a hog farm in Minnesota, David Walz remembers getting a hands-on education caring for living things early in life. Although it’s not a straight line from there to the human health care field, the execution of such duties “aligns with many of the things we have to do as nurses,” Walz said.

As a young child growing up on a farm in Kansas, Amanda Heitman remembers visits to her grandfather, an osteopath who worked from his home, as influential in her eventual career in nursing.

As a nursing leader, Ramirez said she is motivated to make her institution a great place to work, making sure staff are motivated to care for their patients, themselves and to help the center thrive.

Although motherhood awakened the feelings of caregiving that first led Paula Axtell to consider pursuing a career in nursing, it was confidence in her academic abilities that inspired her to believe she could be successful at the job.