Nursing has always been a part of Anne Martin’s life. Her mother was a nurse and inspired her to become one too.
Her mother’s nursing legacy lives on every day in Martin, RN, CNIII, as she cares for patients in the cath lab at Duke Raleigh Hospital (DRAH). After her mom entered a nursing home, Martin discovered a series of letters she’d written about her nursing career. Even 50 years later, those letters still resonate for Martin as a nurse today.
“In her letters, she discusses her love for nursing, the challenges she faced as a nurse, and what the profession meant to her,” Martin said. “These letters transcend time—some of the same challenges she faced, I face today.”
Martin’s other siblings were equally as inspired by their mother to go into health care – her brother is a provider, and her sister is a nurse as well. In a previous role as a nurse educator at DRAH, Martin read the letters to new hires.
“Nursing was something I always wanted to do, because I always admired my mom,” Martin said. “She was so proud and passionate about nursing. If she did it, I wanted to, too. And now, I get to be a part of her legacy.”
One of Martin’s favorite quotes from the letters is one that she believes can resonate with nurses everywhere:
“Nursing is teaching, caring, listening, understanding, relating, devotion, and having empathy toward the patient. It is a frustrating, demanding, much misunderstood profession—I love it.”
–By Blair Callahan
Original post featured on https://intranet.dh.duke.edu/duke-medicine-news.
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