A licensed practical nurse for more than 25 years, Marilyn Morrison has found joy in her current job at City of Asheville Employee Health Services.

Morrison’s nursing career has spanned several types of facilities. She worked in pediatrics for 15 years, spent several years working in a senior living facility, and recently worked as a nurse for a county jail.

Within the jail setting, Morrison was witness to a lot of mental illness and drug detox episodes. She was once attacked by an inmate, and was eager to return to an office clinic environment. In 2022, a new team took over the practice at City of Asheville Employee Health Services, and Morrison was happy to join.

“I really like that it’s a small practice,” Morrison said. “We all started together at the same time and have gotten to know each other really well. We are able to anticipate each other’s moods and moves and help each other out as needed, which keeps it a low-stress environment. Whether we are busy or not, the clinic always runs smoothly.”

City of Asheville Employee Health Services is a specialized clinic serving city employees including firefighters, police officers, sanitation drivers, various trades specialists, those in public works, and more. Physicians at the clinic can serve as primary care doctors for city employees. The staff also perform annual occupational health physicals for city staff members, and can serve as a walk-in clinic for urgent care needs if someone gets sick or hurt at work.

As the clinic has a smaller number of patients than some other practices, Morrison is able to get patients in and out quickly while handling a variety of tasks herself. Her regular responsibilities include checking patients in and out, completing their paperwork, checking vital signs, checking hearing and vision, collecting samples for bloodwork, and more. Since all City employees use the same insurance, she doesn’t have to file insurance or process any claims.

Morrison said she enjoys the predictability of her job. When there is a new class of academy graduates, each of them comes to the clinic for their physicals. Being clustered in this way creates an easy preparation process for her, though she said there are surprises from time to time.

“One patient had fallen into a manhole in a street and was pretty banged up,” Morrison said. “There are sometimes minor cuts or other injuries that require minor stitching, but much more than that will require a visit to the emergency room.”

After 25 years as a nurse, Morrison is happy to work at a practice offering that predictability, a lower number of daily patients to care for, and a regular schedule. She enjoys not having to be in a hurry and having conversations with her patients.

“Working with the City, I knew I would have better hours,” Morrison said. “It’s a regular Monday through Friday schedule with half days on Fridays. It’s also pretty low-key, more so than pediatrics. Those clinics have so many patients, it would sometimes feel overwhelming. Here, I usually see between five and 10 patients per day, and it’s nice to get to know the people representing our city.”

As she begins to think about retirement in the future, Morrison said she would enjoy taking more summers to work at summer camps for kids. She has done this four summers in the past, and two years ago spent two months at a girls camp in Maine with five other nurses. 

“It was really fun,” Morrison said. “We saw the girls if they got sick or hurt, and had every Sunday off to explore the area. When I retire, I’ll do that every summer.”

For now, Morrison is thrilled with her job as an LPN at Asheville’s employee occupational clinic.

“I’ve met some really great people and enjoy working with my team,” Morrison said. “I live in Haywood County but love to get into the bigger city. I truly love the atmosphere it provides.”

Marilyn Morrison is a licensed practical nurse at City of Asheville Health Services. Learn more about City of Asheville Health Services at Marathon-Health.com.