Local 3 News and the Tennessee Center for Nursing Advancement are highlighting nurses across the Tennessee Valley that go above and beyond for their patients. Every month, we will be sharing the story of a nurse who makes the industry better for all of us.
The Local 3 Nurse of the Month for December is Amber Kerr. Kerr is a family nurse practitioner in Dayton, TN. She runs her own practice, Integrative Wellness. She told Local 3 News she never thought she would end up in the medical field when she was growing up.
"It kind of just found me. I had my first child when I was just barely 17 years old. With her, I got to a point where I was like, 'Okay, I have to do something'. My life really shifted. She changed everything," said Amber Kerr, a family nurse practitioner.
Kerr had her first daughter in 2006. After that, she started taking general college classes.
"Nursing just kind of fell into my lap. It seemed like an honest career. It seemed like something that would fit me. I think I have a lot of compassion for others and I wanted to be a part of something that was bigger than myself," said Kerr.
Kerr's mother, Donna Johnson, said she was not surprised to learn that her daughter was pursing a degree in nursing.
"She is a very compassionate person. She does listen. She doesn't sugarcoat anything. I think this is her calling," said Donna Johnson, Amber Kerr's mother.
After years of countless exams and practical's, Kerr finally graduated and became a family nurse practitioner. She said her background in the medical field has lead her to where she is now.
"Most of my background in nursing has been hospice and emergency medicine. I really have had the opportunity to do both of those and see people really at their most vulnerable moments," said Kerr.
Now at Integrative Wellness in Dayton, Kerr spends more time with her patients to get to the root causes of their illnesses in a more functional health approach.
"I'm pretty persistent, that's what keeps me going as my drive. The community drives me. This is my hometown. I'm passionate and I care greatly about this community. Medicine isn't just science. It is compassion and it is kindness. It means being present in the moment and that's really giving a patient a chance to truly be a part of their own healthcare journey," said Kerr.
Kerr told Local 3 News that the drive to help her community every single day comes from her daughter.
"I wanted her to know that statistics are just numbers. Too often teen moms can carry a bad reputation and the numbers are really against them and even against their children. I wanted her to look back one day and say, 'Despite that my mother was a young single teen mom, I am proud of her'," said Kerr.