[1] Annie expressed interested in becoming a doctor at age two, at which point her father began teaching her basic medical knowledge.
[3][4] Despite her early training in medicine, Wilkerson's family discouraged her from going into the medical field,[1] in part due to fears that she would never marry or have her own life if she became a doctor.
[1][5] She initially faced resistance for the idea, and worked for free and lived in the hospital's maternity ward in exchange for the internship.
[5] Wilkerson began officially practicing medicine in 1940, after becoming the first woman to complete an internship and residency at Rex Hospital in Raleigh.
[1] Wilkerson initially attended home births, but later decided to work solely at a hospital, where she felt she was better prepared to help patients.