I Know How I Got Here

We often had psychiatric patients for whom there was no information or medical historyavailable. There was the hostile, combative, schizophrenic patient; the paranoid andhallucinating methamphetamine user; or alcoholics found wandering around outsidewith nowhere to go because their families wouldn t allow them back in the house. Allwere brought to the hospital, and we would admit them. These situations kept thingsvery challenging. Was I frightened in these situations? Of course, I was, but I, like manyothers, learned early on how to effectively manage those fears. I grew up in the fiftiesand sixties, when Nikita Khrushchev threatened to annihilate the United States with anatomic bomb. In school we were shown movies about how to survive in a fallout shelter. There were three designated shelters in our town. We also were aware of the concernthat UFOs (unidentified flying objects) and space aliens would invade us. I had startedreading On the Beach by Nevil Shute, which is about a global disaster caused by anatomic war. I couldn t finish it because it was too relevant at the time. So yes, I grew upduring a time of many human crises. As do other populations throughout the world, welearned how to prepare for these disasters. Vonnie Johnson looks back at how she gained the confidence to start a health center as a nursepractitioner in this book that will inspire and empower those with an entreprenuerial bent. She highlights how she teamed up with a colleague that was twenty-three years younger tomake the center a success. The two women shared a powerful connection, having knowneach other their entire life as ciitizens of the same rural community. In looking back at her career, she shares lessons such as how to: navigate staffing challenges as a business owner; truly connect with whomever it is you are serving; make decisions in the best interest of patients and enhance a positive patient outcome; find a balance between family and work. The author also reveals how she took a team approach to working with other healthprofessionals, leveraging mutual trust, respect, and communication to build a businesspoised to succeed.