May 5, 2021

Doris Hennen, RN, Emergency Room

I grew up on a dairy farm between Richmond and Eden Valley that my great grandfather homesteaded. Beginning in eighth grade, my two brothers and I had to milk cows at 5 a.m., every day before school. It was a lot of hard work, but we felt valued because we were essential to our family. That same year I had my appendix removed. I was so impressed with the nurses who took care of me at the hospital in Paynesville that it inspired me to become a nurse.

I have been at Carris Health since 1979 and have worked nights in the emergency room for 38 out of my 39 years. When I started, it was pretty overwhelming. New grads would often come and work for a year or two, get some experience and then leave for the Twin Cities. I remember starting in June that year as a new nurse and by the end of September I was the third most senior RN on the floor. My first nursing supervisor was tough, but she became my mentor. She saw things in me that I didn’t see in myself. She encouraged me and we worked together for 20 years. Helping others is motivating and humbling, and it makes me appreciate the blessings I’ve had in my life.