A local nurse who marks 35 years of service at Greater Baltimore Medical Center on Thursday says her grandmother was her inspiration.
“When I was about 5 or 6 years old, my grandmother was very sick. We were very close and I spent a lot of time with her, and one day she said, ?I hope you become a nurse? and that was the beginning of me becoming a nurse,” said Etna Weinhold, R.N.
Weinhold began her nursing career at the hospital in orthopedics, where she spent six years. She later spent significant amounts of time in the intensive care unit and the ophthalmology unit before becoming the manager of the PostPartum Unit in 1988.
“I feel wonderful, really excited. It?s been a great journey. I work with wonderful people. It?s just really enjoyable so I look forward to coming to work. I feel really blessed,” she said.
She also has some advice for the next generation, recommending that aspiring nurses take advantages of any opportunities available while still in school. “It was different when I went to school. I had many hours of clinical experience, but students today aren?t exposed. I would recommend that they work in a hospital while they are in school,” Weinhold said. “About 25 percent of my staff were students on the PostPartum Unit. It?s a wonderful opportunity to be mentored by a professional nurse.”
Weinhold praises the hospital for its diverse staff and says she enjoys watching them grow and succeed. Adding to her pride in the hospital is the fact that GBMC was voted several times “Best Maternity Hospital in Maryland” by Maryland Family Magazine.
“There?s a pride of ownership, a pride for being here and feeling that you have some responsibility for success here in the unit. I?m so happy that I?m here and that I have remained here. I feel so fortunate,” she said.
