Mother and daughter nursing their dreams

Sheena Gayle, Gleaner Writer

Western Bureau:One has spent over three decades in health care while the other is a 'newbie' with just over a year's experience. And while years separate their experiences, nurse Joylyn Hunter and her daughter Franciatia are both on the same mission - to help others look and stay beautiful.

The mother-daughter duo are trained nurses who now specialise in skin care at Dermatology Solutions Skin Clinic and Medi-Spa in Montego Bay, under the stewardship of Dr Arusha Campbell-Chambers.

"When I was growing up, my mother said that, at two years old, I told her I want to become a nurse," the jovial 46-year-old Hunter told Outlook. The aesthetic nurse and medical assistant is the mother of four and made a switch to skin care out of a need to expand her nursing capabilities and a passion to see the instant results of healing for clients.

"I have been involved in other areas in the medical field as a nurse, but since my exposure to the skin, I really love it. The expressions on the faces of the patients we've helped sum it all up. I really love what I do for a living," the veteran nurse pointed out.

Her abundance in taking care of others has never short-changed her role as a mother and a devoted Christian. "I love my children very much," she quipped adding, "I love taking care of them, and being able to offer guidance is still something I enjoy."

Like mother, like daughter, Franciatia, has always enjoyed helping people something she inherited from watching her mother. Even while she was in high school as a peer counsellor, she realised helping others was what she wanted to do in life, so she decided to become a nurse, a move her mother totally supported.

The mother-daughter duo works together seamlesslly. With Joylyn and her daughter, their professionalism is tantamount to their deep respect for each other.

"I know my mother," nurse Franciatia, 24, said of her mother and co-worker. "She is disciplined, professional and we both understand each other and what is required of us when we get to work. So it's not awkward for us to work together." The two are so good in separating their relationship that Franciatia refers to her mother only as nurse Hunter in the office - 'mummy' never passes her lips.

After completing her training, Franciatia always visited her mother's office and, when she found out that there was an opening, she applied and got the job.

The world of microdermabrasion, botox, laser hair removal, and other complex issues with the skin, is a new territory for the young nurse, which is why she attributed her growth in the profession to her mother and an understanding boss who is always eager to pass on the knowledge.

"It's interesting that I ended up working with a dermatologist, because as a teenager, I suffered from severe acne, as most teens do, and I knew I wanted to enter a profession that would help others, but did not really knew that it would be a profession that is so close to home," she said with a pleasant smile.

She was a high-school prefect and certified peer counsellor, and her enthusiasm for skin care has grown to the point where she plans to pursue formal training in the field.

"My mother is always pushing me to be my best and that nothing comes easy. That's one of the great things about working with your parent, you get to learn more, spend more time with them. It doesn't have to be boring, the key is professionalism and enjoying what you do, with whom you do it," Franciatia confirmed.