Jess L. - "Devoted"

This is Jess’s story. Ever since she was a young girl, she knew she wanted to take care of others. Her grandma was a nurse in the ER for several years and now teaches nursing at Carolina Technical College. She would always teach Jess different things about nursing as she was growing up. When Jess was eight years old, she recalls checking her grandpa’s pulse with a little watch. That’s when she knew, caring for others is what she wanted to do.

During high school, Jess joined the CNA program and began caring for patients. At first, she wasn’t sure it was right for her, but as she started to build relationships with her patients, she fell in love with it. That’s when she realized what a difference it made. She remembers thinking, “I would want somebody to take care of my grandma the way I’m taking care of my patients.” 

Prior to Interim HealthCare, she was working in a nursing home, but the hours were challenging to manage with school. This led her to pursue other opportunities that would fit her schedule—that’s how she discovered Interim HealthCare and began working in home health. Getting to know her clients personally and connecting with them in their homes has been very rewarding.

Jess is currently working toward her nursing degree at Southeastern Community College while she works as a CNA for Interim HealthCare in Whiteville, North Carolina. She has been there since January 2020 and really enjoys the personal side of home health. “You learn about their family and they become part of yours. You take care of them and they take care of you,” said Jess. The most rewarding part of her job is the relationships she has built with her clients.

Another fulfilling aspect of her job is the support she receives from the staff, especially the Home Care Supervisor and Office Scheduler. If Jess has a need, they are always there for her and very supportive of her schooling. Moreover, they do their best to give her the work she needs and to match her to patients that would be a great fit for her skills and schedule. Jess really appreciates that and loves working with the team at Interim HealthCare.

While Jess has always felt called to care for others, she recently had a client that touched her heart in a special way. It was an elderly woman whose health was failing. She desperately needed help, but she didn’t want anyone to help her. So, Jess would just sit and talk with her to put her at ease. Eventually, she began to open up about her family and soon discovered that Jess had gone to the same high school as her nephew. The woman lit up when she heard this. They soon became the best of friends. One day, the woman started talking about wanting to give up and that she was ready to go. Jess assured her that she was there for her and it made all the difference. That’s when Jess realized, she could be the one to help somebody, and it inspired her to be the compassionate caregiver she is today.

Jess is devoted to the clients she cares for and always willing to assist however she can. Just knowing she is helping them and seeing them smile gives her so much joy. In every way, Jess is made for this!