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Joe Parker stood in the middle of the dark, unlit street,
rain furiously beating down, as he and his fellow paramedics
carefully lifted the elderly woman into the ambulance.
The furies of El Niño were taking their toll
on Parker, a paramedic with 20 years’ experience.
“I enjoyed being a paramedic, but I hated working
outdoors and treating patients in poor weather conditions,”
Parker said. “There were many times during a 24-hour
shift that I thought how nice it would be to be at home
with my family and sleeping in my own bed.”
At the time, the trend in emergency medical services
was also changing with the focus on paramedics joining
fire departments, an area that Parker didn’t care
to pursue.
So at the age of 38, Parker decided it was time for
a career change. At a time when many people with a 20-year
career are contemplating early retirement, Parker was
enrolling in a nursing program.
After graduating from Contra Costa College in San Pablo,
Calif., he was immediately hired to work in the emergency
room at Sutter Delta Medical Center in Antioch, Calif.
Despite the critical need for new hires in the nursing
sector, Parker was surprised to receive an offer so
quickly after graduation.
“I remember when my wife graduated from nursing
school eight years ago and we drove from Sacramento
to Fresno dropping off her résumé at every
hospital along the way,” Parker said. “It
was a very different job market for nurses.”
Parker now enjoys a five-minute commute to work, a schedule
with weekends off and the chance to frequently have
lunch with his wife, Katherine, a labor and delivery
nurse at Sutter Delta. His only regret is not entering
the nursing field years ago.
“I love working in the ER. At Sutter, I’m
part of a very supportive staff who works together as
a team,” Parker said.
The only challenge Parker faced when changing careers
was learning how to show restraint.
“Paramedics have a lot more autonomy than nurses,”
Parker said. “For example, if a patient comes
into the ER with traumatic arrest, I can’t perform
an emergency needle thoracotomy, as I did when I was
a paramedic, I have to wait for a physician to perform
the procedure.”
At the age of 40, Parker is happy to have found a rewarding
career.
“I really enjoy providing patient care and educating
patients and their families,” Parker said. “And
I feel appreciated, I’ve had more people thank
me in the short time I’ve been a nurse than in
all my years as a paramedic.”
Temporary detour
Ferdinand Comayas always knew he wanted to work in
the medical field. But a love of jet engines provided
a temporary detour on his career path.
Comayas served as an aircraft mechanic for five years
in the U.S. Navy. And although he loved working on jet
engines, he didn’t want to make it a lifelong
habit.
“I hated the smell of jet fuel and I knew that
constant exposure to carcinogenics wasn’t healthy,”
Comayas said.
It was also hard to shake the dream he had of working
in a hospital. Comayas, who sustained serious injuries
and endured nine months of physical therapy following
a 1988 car accident, had great respect for the physicians
and nurses who helped him with his recovery and hoped
to someday provide the same compassionate care to others.
Caring for his mother before her death in 1998 reinforced
his commitment to pursuing a career as a professional
caregiver.
After finishing his stint in the Navy, Comayas studied
to become an X-ray technician, and later went on to
work as an ultrasound technician.
Viewing the national nursing shortage firsthand motivated
Comayas to return to school and obtain a degree in nursing.
Several months ago, he finished his studies at Contra
Costa College and is now preparing to take his nursing
exams.
Comayas hopes to work in a hospital setting and would
welcome the opportunity to work with the elderly.
“I really enjoy working with older people,”
Comayas said. “I know they can be more challenging,
but they also seem more appreciative. I get a lot of
satisfaction from hearing a patient say thanks.”
Mom to RN
After giving birth to five children, Pat Luger, RN,
conceived a nursing career.
The stay-at-home mom had married at a young age and
never completed high school, but when her youngest child
started kindergarten, she decided it was time to return
to school.
Luger, who was living in Iowa at the time, obtained
her high school equivalency certificate, then completed
nursing school while juggling responsibilities as a
busy wife and mother. She landed her first job at Iowa
Methodist Hospital, a 700-bed facility, where she worked
in pediatrics and oncology.
“I graduated from nursing school the same year
that my oldest son graduated from high school,”
Luger said. “I came home to find my son and some
of his classmates hosting a surprise graduation party
for me.”
Luger and her family relocated to California, and she
shifted her nursing focus to hospice and home care.
Today she works as a home health nurse for Rossmoor
Home Health in Walnut Creek.
“I think there is a lot of flexibility in nursing
today and that it provides a wonderful opportunity for
mothers who want to return to the workforce,”
Luger said. “I have always had a strong sense
of curiosity and working as a nurse satisfies that sense,
every day is a different adventure.”
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