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.”