Danville, Va., native Mary Ann Howerton has worked as a bedside nurse at Annie Penn Hospital for 25 years.
"I've always been a bedside nurse, always, and I will retire from nursing as a bedside nurse. I've never wanted to do anything else," she said.
"I love it. It's what I went to nursing school to do, and once I started doing bedside, it's where I belonged. At a certain point in your life, you know what you're meant to be."
Howerton, who was selected through online voting as a 2023 Triad Nurse of Distinction community honoree, has been the charge nurse for the last year.
"Mostly it's taking care of patients; you take care of their families; you take care of each other on the floor," she said. "When I talk about nursing, I always have to say something about nursing techs. They work right beside us; it is a team and that's how you get things done. It's the connection."
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“Mary Ann leads with integrity & passion for nursing like none other,” said coworker Ashley Rogers, who nominated Howerton for the Nurses f Distinction honor. “As charge nurse, she manages the unit with a calm demeanor & always leads by example. Her love for nursing shines in all she does, allowing her to lead in a way few could.”
Rogers said Howerton is “one of the best nursing mentors ever!”
As one of the oldest members of the nursing staff at 63, Howerton said she is inspired by her fellow staff members.
"I have seen a lot of nurses come new out of school and move on and do marvelous, wonderful things. Right now, there are a lot of new nurses on the floor, and their passion for learning – if you're a nurse you're always learning – and their compassion for the people we're taking care of. It's inspiring.
"They call me 'Mama.' I am their work mama. I always say I have a lot of daughters. I've built that kind of relationship. It's a two- way street with a lot of these girls, and that's very meaningful to me."
She was initially a receptionist in doctor's offices and secretary in hospitals, starting when she was 16 at Danville Memorial Hospital and other hospitals, then took some time off the office work to have two sons. She didn't go back to nursing school until she was 30, but she always thought her career would be in the medical field.
"I've always been in that area in some way," she said. "I know some of this sounds really corny, but it's really true... How lucky are we that our job is to take care of people? At the end of the day, things are going to change in nursing... but at the end of that day that is what we do, that doesn't change, that is the constant."
