Celebrating mothers: A calling passed down

On any given morning at Doctors Hospital, there’s a quiet but powerful moment that speaks to the heart of nursing.

As her night shift winds down, Emily Chittom makes a familiar stop before heading home. She walks through the halls not just as a nurse, but as a daughter — checking in on her mother, Teresa Wells, who is just beginning her day.

It’s a simple ritual. But behind it is a story nearly four decades in the making.

Teresa Wells has spent 36 years in nursing, all rooted in the same hospital she still calls home. She began her journey in 1989 as a patient care technician while finishing nursing school, stepping into a profession that would shape not only her life — but, eventually, her daughter’s as well.

Over the years, Teresa’s career has reflected the evolving nature of nursing itself. She has worked across medical-surgical units, oncology, endoscopy, PACU, cardiac rehabilitation, case management, and the emergency room — each role marking a different season of her life.

“It’s a career that grows with you,” Teresa says. “There’s always a place where you fit, no matter what stage of life you’re in.”

That flexibility allowed her to balance a demanding profession with raising a family. And as she moved through those seasons, her workplace became something more than just a hospital.

“It became home,” she says. “You see people you’ve worked with for 30 or 40 years — it’s like seeing family in the hallway.”

For Emily, that sense of family started long before she ever put on scrubs.

Born at the very hospital where she now works, Emily grew up surrounded by healthcare. Dinner table conversations often revolved around patient stories, teamwork, and the realities of life in medicine. As a child, she didn’t just hear about nursing — she witnessed its impact.

“I always knew I wanted to do something that made a difference,” Emily says. “Something where I could help people in a meaningful way.”

At 14, she took her first step into that world as a hospital volunteer. It was there, in the burn clinic, that everything clicked.

“You get to know the patients and their families. You see them heal over time,” she recalls. “That connection — that’s what stayed with me.”

Years later, Emily returned to the hospital as a patient care technician in the Burn ICU, immersing herself in one of the most challenging and rewarding areas of care. Today, as a new graduate nurse in the same unit, she’s found her place.

“I love it,” she says. “Every day is different. Some days are hard, but I never feel like what I’m doing doesn’t matter.”

Though Teresa and Emily have never officially worked side-by-side in the same unit, their careers often intersect in meaningful ways — through shared colleagues, patient transitions, and glimpses into each other’s worlds.

For Emily, one of the most defining moments was seeing her mother in action.

“You grow up hearing what your parents do,” she says. “But actually seeing her care for patients, advocate for her team — it showed me what kind of nurse I want to be.”

Teresa, in turn, has watched her daughter step into the profession with pride.

“It’s one of the greatest moments as a parent,” she says. “To see her choose this path — and to see how passionate she is about it — it means everything.”

Their shared career has created something rare: a relationship built not only on family, but on a mutual understanding of what it means to care for others during their most vulnerable moments.

It’s a bond that continues to grow, even across generations.

“She teaches me things all the time,” Teresa says with a smile, reflecting on Emily’s experience in critical care. “It’s a two-way street.”

At the center of their story is something both women believe deeply in: the culture of the hospital that has shaped them.

“It really is a family,” Emily says. “You’re there for each other through everything — the hard days, the good days, even the small moments that make you smile.”

She believes that culture doesn’t happen by chance.

“We are the culture,” she adds. “We create that environment for each other — and for our patients.”

That shared commitment — to compassion, connection, and purpose — is what makes their story especially meaningful during National Nurses Week.

Because while nursing is often defined by skill and dedication, stories like Teresa and Emily’s reveal something deeper: a legacy.

One that begins with a single nurse answering a calling — and continues with the next generation, walking the same halls, carrying it forward.

Our larger network, HCA Healthcare, is made up of approximately 316,000 colleagues united by a singular mission: Above all else, we are committed to the care and improvement of human life.