Nunnery Retires from Long but Unlikely Nursing Career
“If you had asked me in high school what I wanted my career path to be, I couldn’t tell you what I wanted to do,” says Lisa Nunnery, “but the one thing I didn’t want to do was be a nurse.”
Contrary to her early aspirations, Lisa retired Dec. 2 as a registered nurse with more than 35 combined years of employment with North Mississippi Health Services.
Lisa’s first job at NMHS was working as a switchboard operator for North Mississippi Medical Center between her junior and senior years at Tupelo High School. “We had the old-timey cables that you plugged in and out to transfer calls,” she says. “While I was there, we got trained on a new automated system.”
After graduating from Tupelo High School in 1976, Lisa earned her associate degree from Northeast Mississippi Community College. Upon graduation in 1978, she was hired as a medical assistant for Dr. John Sanders when he opened Sanders Clinic for Women. She ran the clinic’s laboratory for three years.
In 1981, Lisa was hired as a technician in NMMC’s kidney dialysis unit. While working there, her coworkers realized her potential and encouraged her to pursue a nursing career. She took their advice and enrolled in NEMCC’s associate degree nursing program, which she completed in 1984.
Lisa transferred to Cardiac Rehabilitation in 1985, where she worked as a registered nurse for six years. She worked in pharmaceutical sales from 1991-1994 and then returned to NMHS to work as a nurse with Rheumatology Consultants for 13 years. In 2007, she was named liaison RN for Mississippi Methodist Rehabilitation Center, where she facilitated referrals from this area for the Jackson hospital’s brain and spinal cord program.
In 2010, Lisa rejoined NMHS as quality outcomes manager for North Mississippi Medical Clinics, a position she held until retirement. In this role, she implemented and tracked quality measures for primary and specialty clinics. She particularly enjoyed working with physicians and clinic staff to improve quality outcomes.
“I feel like I’ve been blessed to have so many opportunities with this organization that have allowed me to do so many different jobs as a nurse,” Lisa says. “It would be hard for me to choose a favorite. I’ve grown and learned with each one of them.”
In retirement, Lisa looks forward to “being more relaxed and enjoying more downtime” with her husband, Martin, who retired a few years ago. She and her husband, Martin, have been helping daughter Claire Garnett get her new business, Enlighten Salon and Spa, ready to open in Tupelo. Lisa also enjoys doing yard work, attending The Orchard and spoiling her grandchildren, 8-year-old Emory and 3-year-old Evan.
