y first job in the healthcare
M profession paid 25 cents an hour .
I was 14 years old and worked for my dad in his medical practice in Haskell , TX . I used to tease him , and tell him that I was going to call the child labor board . Initially I filed X-rays for the technicians and later I worked as a nurse ’ s aide . Healthcare has always been an important part of my life and my daddy was my role model . I adored watching him take care of his patients . He was very loving toward them , and I saw them express the same sentiments toward him .
My dad often spoke about Inez Gholson , a nurse at Haskell Memorial Hospital . When I got my nursing degree from West Texas State University ( now West Texas A & M University ) and went to work at the hospital , I was fortunate to have Ms . Gholson as my charge nurse and my mentor . She raved about Scott & White and the wonderful nursing school from which she had graduated . She was a talented nurse and a smart , caring person . I learned so much from her .
Nursing has been a thread throughout my life , and has put me in people ’ s lives at some of their most intimate moments . I remember one patient in her late 80s who had suffered a stroke . It was late at night and while making rounds I heard her
First Lady of Texas Anita Perry with patient Luela Snow , January 2010 .
talking . I asked if she needed me , but she said she was talking with the angels . She died the next day .
I ’ ve been fortunate to witness the miracle of birth and see that unforgettable first look on the parents ’ faces . Every stage of life is important and I ’ m proud to have been a part of so many special moments .
Being Texas ’ First Lady can provide a wonderful platform on which to talk about passions , mine being healthcare . I am blessed to have this passage in my life , where I meet so many truly generous and humble Texans . If I can help just one person through healthcare , or help to raise domestic violence awareness , or help more women to survive breast cancer , that will be my reward .
A leadership role in healthcare We have 1,000 people moving to Texas every day . People look for jobs here because we have the greatest economic and workforce development in the nation . For example , according to the January 2010 Texas Labor Market Review , the education and health services sectors have seen 15 consecutive months of job growth .
The field of home healthcare services is predicted to be one of the fastest-growing industries into 2016 , with a growth rate
for Healthcare and Helping People
sw . org | Spring 10 THE CATALYST 19