Cindy Johnson (center), nursing professor at Southern Adventist University, and her daughters Jessica Weber (left) and Ashley Finley (right) discovered their shared interests as they now work together serving the community in the medical field.
Families in Southern Adventist University’s School of Nursing are connected by care and united in their calling to serve. Several students and faculty recently had the opportunity to see each other in new contexts–including the Johnson family, who use their training as they work in tandem in the medical field.
From Children to Colleagues
Cindy Johnson, ’84 and ’07 Southern alum, DNP, is one parent in the School of Nursing who has had the pleasure of wearing two hats—professor and mother.
Her more than three decades as a nurse in the emergency room, intensive care unit, and post-anesthesia care unit inspired her daughters, Jessica and Ashley, to enroll in Southern’s nursing program, where she coordinates and teaches in the simulation lab. Ms. Johnson enjoyed the additional privilege of working alongside her children when they became colleagues at Erlanger Health System.
Jessica (Johnson) Weber completed her associate degree in 2017 and her bachelor’s in 2018, while Ashley (Johnson) Finley finished her associate degree in 2022 and just graduated last spring with her bachelor’s.
A Family Affair
Ms. Johnson began her own career as a nurse at Erlanger Health System in Chattanooga in 1989. When she started teaching at Southern Adventist University in 2007, she continued working a few days each month in the post-anesthesia care unit. While seniors in high school, her daughters were each selected to join Erlanger VolunTEENs, a hands-on summer program in which students help hospital staff and patients in clinical and non-clinical settings while exploring their interests in the medical field.
“The experience cemented their desire to work in healthcare, particularly nursing. Later, both Jessica and Ashley worked as nurse techs at Erlanger before their final semester of nursing, then transitioned into nursing roles,” Ms. Johnson said.
“I always knew that I wanted to do something in the medical field. We were surrounded by it,” Ms. Finley said. “Then, after shadowing as a teen at Erlanger, I fell in love with the hospital setting. Now, as an ICU nurse, I’ve learned to use critical-thinking skills quickly.”
Leaning On Each Other
The passion for medicine runs deep in the hearts of the Johnsons. Ms. Johnson and her husband, Tim, met while volunteering at the Tri-Community Fire Department in Collegedale, where all four have since worked on the medical team–Ms. Finley and Mr. Johnson as emergency medical technicians, and Ms. Weber and Ms. Johnson as emergency medical responders.
“There were plenty of nights when all four of us were on the same truck,” Ms. Finley said. The pressure of being the first responders to a call has gelled them as a team. Ms. Weber reflects, “When we worked together to heal wounds or do CPR, we fell into natural roles, with mom or dad leading on the scene.” Ms. Finley adds, “It was a benefit to have learned from their medical knowledge. We work well together, and then, after a call, we debrief with the team and as a family.”
The family’s service to the community carries on into the hospital. Both daughters practice nursing at Erlanger Health System—Ms. Weber as a specialized “Red Shirt” on the trauma critical care team and Ms. Finley in the shock intensive care unit. Although assigned to different departments, there are times when the sisters’ jobs intersect, especially since they both work the night shift.
“Over the years, we all have been on many scenes together providing medical care,” Ms. Johnson said. “More recently, on several occasions, I have ridden into the hospital on the ambulance, assisting the paramedic, before turning over patient care to Jessica, who has then taken the patients to the trauma unit and handed them off to Ashley.”
Love Of Learning
The family’s work includes equipping the next generation of healthcare workers. Ms. Johnson, Ms. Weber, and Ms. Finley have taught credentialing courses for the critical care areas of the hospital, including Basic Life Support. Their collaboration has also returned them to the classrooms of Southern, where they are Basic Life Support instructors for nursing students, resident assistants and deans on campus. In addition, Ms. Wever is an Advanced Cardiac Life Support instructor and helps Ms. Johnson teach this course for the Leadership nursing students each semester. “It’s been a fun experience to come back and teach at the university where I graduated,” said Ms. Weber.
Education remains a powerful motivator in their own lives. Ms. Johnson earned her master’s degree in nursing at Southern Adventist University and completed her doctorate in nursing education. One of the greatest pleasures, she says, is watching her daughters continue to grow. “They have a love of learning. Their education didn’t stop at Southern, but it is where they embraced it, and it continues to blossom.”
Leaving A Legacy
Ms. Weber and Ms. Finley say that if they have children one day, they will provide the same example as their parents. “We were never pressured to go into the medical field or even nursing,” said Ms. Weber. “It felt like a very natural course, because we observed the ways Mom treated others at school and work. I love my job of helping people and would share that with my kids as Mom did. If they choose that, it would be awesome.”