Three generations of nurses, one hospital

For registered nurse Rachel Harrington, nursing is in her DNA.

She is the third generation of nurses in her family to work at Sharp Grossmont Hospital, following in the footsteps of her mother and grandmother and carrying on a legacy that spans 64 years.

Growing up, Harrington recalls that medicine was part of everyday life in her home. At the dinner table, conversations often focused on her mother’s and grandmother’s patients and their experiences as nurses. Those stories sparked an early interest in medicine that continues to shape her career today.

Her mother, Sandi-Julian Stowe, RN, worked in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and would bring home items that Rachel incorporated into playtime. The budding nurse put preemie diapers on her dolls and used her mom’s stethoscope and hemostat, a surgical tool shaped like scissors, to “diagnose” them.

“Looking back, I was basically role-playing being a nurse from the time I was little,” says Harrington.

A childhood experience sparks a career choice

One experience stands out in her memory: joining her mom at the hospital for Take Your Child to Work Day in fifth grade.

“I spent the day with her in the NICU,” Harrington recalls. “I even got to attend a delivery with the patient’s permission. I will never forget that experience. You definitely can’t do that today,” she says with a laugh.

While her mom inspired her to pursue nursing, Harrington says she inherited many of her personality traits from her late grandmother, Virginia Ray.

“She was a go-getter, a fixer and extremely resourceful,” she says. “I’m naturally a fixer and a helper, and I think I got that from her.”

Ray’s path to Grossmont began when she served as an Army nurse in Korea. After moving to San Diego in 1956, she worked at Sharp Memorial Hospital before transferring to what was then Grossmont Community Hospital, where she worked as a charge nurse on the pediatric unit.

At the time, the hospital had 110 beds, compared with 562 today, and smoking was allowed inside the facility. A longtime advocate for healthy environments, Ray implemented a no-smoking policy on the pediatric floor years before hospitals became entirely smoke-free.

A groundbreaking approach to maternity care

Ray and her fellow trailblazing colleagues also introduced the concept of alternative birthing-centered (ABC) care. They created three specially designed rooms where families could welcome their baby and recover together in one space.

At the time, the idea was groundbreaking and earned coverage in local newspapers. This family-centered care model remains in place today.

Ray later became supervisor of the NICU and, in the early 1970s, she was manager of pediatrics and obstetrics. She spent the final six years of her career as house supervisor, a role now known as administrative liaison, before retiring in June 1988.

Three months later, Julian-Stowe joined Grossmont Hospital as a registered nurse trainee in the NICU.

Then, the Level II unit had six beds and a special care area. Nurses relied on paper documentation rather than today’s technology.

“We had to chart all critical care hourly by hand in narrative notes,” recalls Julian-Stowe. “There was no computerized charting or electronic handoff.”

The 1990s brought a new women’s center, including an expanded NICU with 24 state-of-the-art beds. Julian-Stowe became an advanced life support nurse specializing in neonatal resuscitation and served as a clinical lead as the NICU advanced to become a Level III unit.

“The specialized studies and advancements in neonatal care since 1988 have been incredible,” says Julian-Stowe. “I feel blessed to be part of that growth during my 34 years at the hospital.”

Forging a different path to nursing

Harrington took a different route into nursing. She first became an EMT to gain experience on an ambulance. “That’s when I realized I wanted to become an ED nurse, which was a little different from the other nurses in my family, who were mostly in neonatal care and pediatrics,” she says.

Harrington started as a nursing assistant, then became an emergency department (ED) tech and eventually a new graduate RN in the ED. In 2023, one year after her mother retired, she transferred from Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center to Sharp Grossmont to work on the rapid response team.

It’s no surprise that Harrington’s two daughters, ages 8 and 10, who were born at Sharp Grossmont, already talk about becoming nurses when they grow up. Their father is a San Diego firefighter, so both parents have careers dedicated to helping others.

“I would be over the moon if one of my daughters chose to become a nurse,” says Harrington. “I really do think it’s one of the best careers you can have.”

If that happens, the family’s nursing legacy could continue into a fourth generation. “Of course,” Harrington clarifies, “I want them to choose whatever career makes them happy.”

For the other women in the family, nursing has brought not only happiness, but also a deep sense of purpose, pride and connection.

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