Joey Forte, RN, a registered nurse at Piedmont Henry Hospital, says his desire to become a nurse began when he was in high school. At the time, his school did not offer the prerequisite courses required for nursing school, so he helped launch the necessary classes. “That helped jumpstart my road to college and nursing school,” he explains.

In 1985, Forte’s mother found a position for him in the hospital’s food service department, working in the kitchen. He told her he would prepare patient food trays, but he didn’t want to wash dishes or mop. “The very next week after I started, the dishwasher quit, so guess who got stuck in the dishroom,” he laughs. Working at the hospital reaffirmed his decision to become a nurse.

The challenges and rewards of nursing

“A lot of times when you go home, you have a million things go through your mind, especially if you’ve had a long day,” he explains. “Sometimes you get home, and you’re so tired, you’ll wake up thinking, ‘Did I do this? Did I do that?’”

While a career in nursing is demanding, Forte says the challenges are well worth it. The best part, he says, is “when you feel like you’ve made a difference in someone’s life.” For more information on nursing at Piedmont, click here.

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