Local nurse celebrates 50 years in profession

CRESTVIEW — Being a nurse has always been in Betty Jordan’s blood.

“One Christmas, that’s all I wanted was a nurse’s kit,” Jordan said. “I just always wanted to be a nurse. I just had that in me.”

The road to becoming a nurse didn’t come without its struggles for Jordan.

“I almost stopped because my husband got ill during the time I was going to nursing school,” Jordan said. “My instructor would not let me drop out. She said ‘No, we are going to help you, you are not dropping out.’ So they encouraged me and I kept going.”

Jordan had two small children during her time in nursing school. Finding a balance between academics and raising a family proved difficult.

“The hardest thing about nursing school for me was staying up to study for tests when I had two little kids and I would get them in bed,” said Jordan. “I balanced it because I wanted to be a nurse really bad and also I thought what if something happened to my husband. Here I have these two little children and I have to get through this to be able to take of them.”

Jordan will celebrate 50 years as a nurse on June 20. She still wears a white uniform today and is currently in her 40th year working for Dr. Abdul Mir with no desire to quit any time soon.

“There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t have someone that needs me to pray for them or encourage them or minister to them,” Jordan said. “I just feel like when God is ready for me to stop and my mind isn’t sharp enough, that I will know. I haven’t felt that. I get up still wanting to go to work every day.”

Jordan said compassion has helped during her many years of nursing.

“There are some great nurses, but I think you have to have that, even when (the patients) aren’t easy to take care of sometimes but you have to have that love for them,” said Jordan.

One aspect of the job that Jordan enjoys is the involvement with her patients and coworkers.

“I think my favorite part would be to see a patient be very ill and me be able to be a part of comforting them and helping them,” Jordan said. “I’ve loved every moment of it because the people have made my life richer.”

Jordan said she does her job with a motto in mind.

“I always remember when that person walks through your door at this office, it may be the last time you see them,” Jordan said. “If you were to get up the next morning and find out they weren’t with us anymore for whatever reason, you want to be able to say ‘How did I act to them? How did I treat them and what did I do to encourage them?’”

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Local nurse celebrates 50 years in profession