LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) – Mary Zandra Luttrell completed her final shift Friday, after 52 years as a nurse, marking the end of a career that began in the 1970s.
Luttrell graduated from nursing school in August 1973 and started her career at a nursing home working alongside experienced aides.
“Of course, they all knew what they were doing, and they didn’t need me to tell them what to do. I remember going home crying because I was going, oh my, this is going to be tough,” Luttrell said.
Luttrell witnessed significant changes in healthcare practices during her career. She remembers when charts were all done on paper, fewer gloves were used, nurses used watches to check pulses, and different colored pens indicated different shifts.
“That way when the doctor opened up the chart and he could read, he would know exactly which shift he wanted to yell at,” Luttrell said.
Despite technological advances, Luttrell said she prioritized patient care throughout her career, always making sure to communicate with them to make them feel more comfortable.
Valeria Loya, a coworker, said Luttrell was known for remembering personal details about patients.
“She’s very personable with all of her patients. And I know she knows them from a long time, but also she remembers little details that like I could never remember. So it was like, okay. Like she’s very unique and very loved person. A lot of people do love her,” Valeria said.
Luttrell recalled one patient who came to the clinic while going through a tough time financially, wearing a new pair of warm-ups with the tag still attached.
“It just showed that she really wanted to be presentable to the doctor and that’s probably the only thing she could afford. But she was clean, and she wanted to be appropriate. That really touched me,” Luttrell said.
Luttrell ended her career working at the Texas Tech Physicians Multispecialty Clinic in Dr. Jason Wischmeyer’s office, surrounded by the patients and coworkers she poured her heart into for 52 years. That’s why she would encourage students thinking about entering the nursing field to go for it.
“Know that once you get through the tests and the schooling, the people that you get to meet, they enrich your life in so many ways,” Luttrell said.
Luttrell plans to continue serving the community through volunteer work in retirement, whether delivering for Meals on Wheels, ringing the bell during the holidays for the Salvation Army or serving at school libraries.
“I don’t plan on waking up very early,” she said.
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