JESSICA MORGAN
Registered Nurse, Emory University Hospital Neurological Intensive Care Unit
Georgia State University ‘19
Atlanta, GA
Jessica was born and raised in Covington, GA. She knew from a young age that she wanted to pursue a career in healthcare. “I decided I wanted to be a nurse at 16 years old. I have a passion for people and a heart to help where I can. The medical field is where I saw that for myself. I remember a specific moment, when I knew that an office job was not going to be fulfilling for me. I wanted to make a difference in people’s lives.”
After a short time at Georgia College and State University, Jessica transferred to Georgia State University, where she graduated from the nursing school in 2019.
“If it wasn’t for the HOPE Scholarship, I wouldn’t be where I am today. My parents wouldn’t have been able to front the money that the scholarship was able to provide towards my education. It relieved the burden for having to figure out how I would pay for school, so that was less stress on me.”
During her clinical rotations, Jessica spent time in the Emory Neurological Intensive Care Unit, where she works now. “My unit is a comprehensive stroke center. When someone has a stroke, the consequences and damage in the brain could cause minor to extremely severe deficiencies. Recovery for someone who has a stroke takes physical therapy, occupational therapy, weeks and weeks of relearning and teaching your body certain things. A lot of the patients have to have patience. It can be really frustrating for them and it can take months to recover.”
“We see the same patients day in and day out. Recovery is something we see a lot. Seeing someone go from near-death, to walking around the halls and knowing that I played a role in their recovery is probably the greatest satisfaction that I’ve had in life so far.”
She sees the relationships she develops with patients as one of the most important parts of her job. “As a nurse there’s a special patient-nurse relationship. You really get to know the patient. I work night shift. Late at night, you would expect the patient to be asleep. But they’re in pain and alone, and you’re the person right by their side. That relationship is really what does it for me and that’s how I know I’m in the right profession.”
Jessica lives in Atlanta and hopes to use her experience as a nurse to go back to school and become a CRNA, a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist.