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As a career, Mastrangelo is very satisfied with her chosen profession. The work is “by no means easy,” but rewarding in novel and persistent ways.

Some nurses almost seem to have been born into the profession. Kathy Mertens isn’t among them, but that hasn’t limited the impact of her work or the trajectory of her career.

Like many working nurses, Joni Garcia kicked off her career in health care at an early age – sort of. It all started when she was just six years old. Her older brother had come down with a cold, and Garcia was tasked with an important chore in his recovery.

In the 15 years that she has worked in medicine, surgical technologist Bunyaporn “Bonnie” Toronjo has supported countless patients during their most vulnerable moments.

In 2001, Bill Muir was playing in a rock band in Japan, teaching English and martial arts. He had been picked up by video game maker Square Enix to sing “Otherworld,” the opening song on the best-selling Final Fantasy X soundtrack.

In the course of a lifetime, every career path has twists and turns, but to Jackie Patterson, nursing is a field in which “you kind of end up falling into things.”