We recently connected with Felice Pete and have shared our conversation below.

Felice, appreciate you joining us today. Do you think your parents have had a meaningful impact on you and your journey?

I grew up in rural Eastern North Carolina on a farm. Our family didn’t have much but we had a good life. We were able to enjoy a moderate vacation in the summer and I worked on the farms in the summer while out of school. I lost my father to a tragic car accident When I was 12. We were very close. It devastated our small family of four. The thing that my family did, Wright was given us her today Christian belief system, and showing us the Christian Way. My father whose life was cut short at 39 was amazing. He taught me about small business hard work and volunteering. My mother who worked part time, but was there at our home always had a meal for him at lunch and at dinner when he came in. My life turned, of course when he died he was my best friend. So I always wanted to please him what he would think of me. I worked hard in my rule up public school in Nash County to achieve grades that would land me with great opportunities. I was able to get a scholarship to UNC in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. However, the constant thought of my father watching over me change to Christ watching me, which changed my focus once I graduated UNC in Chapel Hill And started my career in nursing Anesthesia. That reset my life and made me step into all things in my profession with bonus confidence, and a healthy dose of respect for life.
I often think back to what drove me. I think it was the impact of having a father that took the time to show me hard work teach me things and want me to be the best. He was there when I struggled with math. I remember he ordered me a math system that came in the mail And I worked on math every day. To me that was one of the most important things except taking me to church that impacted my life. He said you have to practice math. You have to make it a habit do a little bit every day. And this is true with anything that we want to be great at has to be before us every day, so those are the things I think my parents did right.

Felice, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am a nurse anesthetist. I love what I do. Nurse anesthetist perform 70% of all anesthetics in the US. Anesthesia is a science that is ever changing as well as an art crafted by the anesthetist who provides the drugs that keep patients asleep and comfortable for surgery. I specialize in open heart surgery Anesthesia. And each client is different. It is my job to care for them as they are often fearful. I pray with them before I pray for them during and I see them after surgery. I feel that this gives a complete holistic approach to my job.

Do you think you’d choose a different profession or specialty if you were starting now?

Yes. I stepped into my profession not knowing what I wanted to do. I was practicing nursing at Duke University and someone there told me that I should be an anesthetist. It was an anesthesiologist that I respected who had worked with me for about two years. I did the studies to go back and get my graduate degree in nursing And then specialized in Anesthesia at Wake Forest University. I was apprehensive and thought that I had made the wrong decision. But alas, now I’ve been doing this job for 20+ years. It has provided me financial success but also the people I meet and care for have made an impact. Their stories are life stories tragedy and success. We learn to remain humble because we don’t know what may happen next.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

When I was applying to Wake Forest, I did not have a great interview process. It was horrible and I ended up running to the bathroom crying. I prayed and I called my mother. She prayed for me and we wanted it the interview to be a distant memory. I was waitlisted for Wake Forest school of nursing anesthesia at the time. But I kept calling kept showing interest and kept working at perfecting my application. I received a call asking me to return for a second interview because some one had dropped of their list. We can call it persistence in interest and Devine intervention.

Contact Info:

• Facebook: Felice Perry Pete

Image Credits

Working in anesthesia. Taking care of my pt.