Jenn Himes-Smith became a nurse later in life, and she doesn't regret her decision. Submitted photo

Jenn Himes-Smith has been there as a person has started his life, and has also been with people at the end of their lives, alongside their families.

While she described her work as the unit director of the emergency department at UPMC Passavant in McCandless as high-stress and chaotic, she said she never regrets leaving her job as a massage therapist to become a nurse about nine years ago.

“I love that you never know what's coming in the door and you have to be prepared for everything,” Himes-Smith said. “You really have to think on your feet, and it’s scary sometimes, but you just have to go in and go for it.”

Himes-Smith said that although the job is rewarding, nurses still face challenges that come along with working in a high-stress environment, including mental health troubles. She said these challenges and nurses’ responses to them are what she would like to share during National Nurses Week.

“I think I just want people to know that we all are really trying our best and really want to help people,” Himes-Smith said. “I would really like to see an understanding that we’re just there to help.”

August Bailey has been a nurse at UPMC Passavant for more than 25 years, and had worked for a short period of time alongside her daughter, Tara Bailey, who went into the profession a few years ago.