When Shirley retired from her work as a hospital nurse, she was more than ready for a break. “The hospital was wearing me out,” Shirley confesses. The hospital wasn’t right for Shirley anymore. But she wasn’t ready to give up nursing completely.
“I thought about working in a doctor’s office,” Shirley remembers. “But my girlfriends told me to try home health. I had never thought about working in home health before. But they said it would be more flexible than a doctor’s office, that it would be perfect for me.” Shirley took her friends’ advice and scheduled an interview at Aveanna.
Shirley knew instantly that she had made the right decision. “From the very beginning,” Shirley recalls, “I had the best cases. The very first case I had, I worked for seven years. I still think about that patient every day.”
Shirley loved working with her Aveanna patients but eventually decided it was time to really retire. “The office gave me a big retirement party,” Shirley smiles. “There was a cake, and everyone made food.” Shirley’s Aveanna office team sent her out in style. But she couldn’t stay gone for long.
“I missed my patients,” Shirley admits. “I missed nursing! After four months, I’d had a few lunches with my girlfriends and traveled a little and decided I needed to go back to work.” When Shirley called the office and said she wasn’t quite done with her career, they welcomed her back with open arms.
After ending her second retirement, Shirley is feeling better than ever. “I look forward to going to work every day,” Shirley shares. “I consider my little patients heroes. Caring for them is an experience that I will always cherish. I would tell any nurse wondering what to do after retirement to consider home health!”
We’re so glad Shirley considered home health and joined the Aveanna team, and so are her patients. Nurses like Shirley, who have so much to give and keep right on giving, are the heart of Aveanna.