Second acts: Nursing as a second career

Maureen Godfrey, RN

Then: Flight Attendant
Now: Plastic Surgeon’s Office and Hospital Emergency Room

Maureen Godfrey always thought she’d go into the medical profession—her dad is a doctor and her aunts are nurses—but, truth be told, when she was in college she “got derailed for no particular reason. Actually, I think I was just a little lazy and unfocused at the time,” says Godfrey. After graduating with a BA in broadcast journalism, she took a job in advertising, which wasn’t her thing, and then became a flight attendant.

For 10 years she flew for Northwest Airlines, traveling all over the United States and Asia, meeting countless interesting people and having a great time. Through it all, though, medicine lurked in the back of her mind. Eventually Godfrey started taking science classes and found that she enjoyed them immensely.

Godfrey quit flying not long after she had her two children, who are now eight and ten years old. “I just didn’t want to leave home anymore,” she says. Instead, she upped her science-class schedule. “It was challenging, but my husband was supportive. I got into a nursing-school program that was part-time nights, so most of my classes were from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. My clinicals were on weekends. So I was home with my kids during the day, and my husband was with them at night. It worked for our family.”

Godfrey loves nursing and encourages young people to go for it. “There’s so much variety and flexibility in what you can do. Plus, it has helped me appreciate my life so much more than I ever did—I’ve seen so much suffering that I’m able to be thankful that my kids are well, and that I’m healthy and can care for my family. Nursing makes you stronger and more compassionate—a better person.”

Family is still the priority at this point in her life, so Godfrey works three days a week in a plastic surgeon’s office in Phoenix, plus she picks up a few shifts every month in the Emergency Department at nearby St. Joseph’s Hospital. “The two jobs are so different, it’s really the best of both worlds,” says Godfrey. She reconsiders for just a moment. “Actually, it’s the best of three worlds because my jobs allow me time with my family.”

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