“In high school, I didn’t know what I wanted to do,” Lovelace Regional Hospital – Roswell nurse Gloria Matta, RN, admits. Nursing was in the back of her mind and became a likely best option following graduation. Nursing not only became a rewarding life-long profession for Gloria, it influenced the next generation in her family. “Nursing is one of the fields you can do so much with. I sold my daughters on that.”
Today, Gloria is joined by her middle daughter, Andrea, RN, at Lovelace Regional Hospital – Roswell. Her oldest daughter is in nursing school and her youngest is pursuing a career in the field of ultrasound. “I encouraged Andrea to cut her teeth on the floor,” she adds. “When she first started, we talked about a lot of things at home. We went through her questions. I was able to see how she was thinking. She’s smarter – early on – that I ever was.”
Early on, Gloria was looking for an opportunity as she was nearing graduation from nursing school. Dr. Don Wenner, surgeon in Roswell, was hiring for a nursing position that was both in the clinic and in the hospital. Gloria, then a mother of two, applied. “I stayed with that doctor for 15 years.”
Over the years, medical-surgical nursing has been a career in which Gloria was able to grow and continue to learn. “I’ve learned so much and I was able to use it everywhere,” she adds. “I would see patients before surgery in the clinic, then care for them in the hospital and then see them post-op in the clinic. It has been very rewarding.”
Today, Gloria says she and other veteran nurses at Lovelace Regional Hospital – Roswell are proud to mentor the next generation of nurses. It is what makes this hospital a special place. “I love the environment,” she adds. “I never take it for granted. We make sure we take in the new nurses, nurture them and help them feel comfortable to ask questions.”
When her daughter Andrea was nearing high school graduation, Gloria wanted her to know about the possibilities nursing could provide. “You’re never alone,” she explained to her daughter. “Nursing can be rewarding, but it can also be tough. You can always turn to a fellow nurse to ask questions.”
Nursing, Gloria believed, is life-changing. “You can change a person’s life in a moment’s notice,” she says. “Nursing is a wonderful field.”
To learn more about current opportunities in nursing at Lovelace Regional Hospital – Roswell, please visit our careers’ website here.