One family, three generations of nurses with 40 years of service at Lancaster hospital
Three generations of nurses from the same family have all worked at the same hospital in Lancaster. For them, nursing is a family affair.
Patricia Pendleton started it all. She worked as a nurse at the Antelope Valley Medical Center for 25 years, and now she's retired.
She said she is amazed that her daughter and granddaughters have followed in her footsteps at the same hospital.
"They're doing wonderful things. They are working in a wonderful place, they are saving lives and that's what we should all try to do," Pendleton said.
Terryl Call said she was inspired watching her mom, Patricia, become a nurse and care for their father as he fought cancer.
"We were basically raised in the hospital for two years, and seeing the care those nurses provided for my father and the way we were embraced as children, it basically led my way," Terryl Call, AVMC house supervisor, said.
She decided nursing was the path she wanted to take too, and has since become a supervisor supporting hospital staff.
The family's legacy didn't stop with Terryl. "It honestly makes me very emotional, but I am very honored and privileged to be able to see them and all the hard work they put in," she said.
Her daughters, Tayler and Amanda, grew up hearing stories about the work their mother and grandmother did, and there was no pressure.
Nursing did eventually become their calling – they even went through nursing school together.
"Growing up, I just remember thinking my mom was the coolest person ever and my grandma was the coolest person ever and a lot of that came from what they did as a profession," Amanda Starler, AVMC nurse said.
"It wasn't really like we were pushed from generation to generation. It was kind of natural and flowed that way."
Amanda and her sister Tayler both work in the ER. It's a level II trauma center, and they get to see their mom every day.
"We work nights so we get to see her for an hour. She always comes down and says 'hi' and it's the best thing," Tayler Rodriguez, AVMC nurse said.
Three generations of nurses, one hospital and one calling. "I think it shows how much we appreciate our community and how we want to help and give back," Rodriguez said.
