Joyce Nichols

[2] In 1965, she received a scholarship to study as a licensed practical nurse (LPN) and after graduation in 1966, she started working in the cardiac care unit at Duke Hospital.

[2] In the hospital, she learned about the physician's assistant (PA) class at the Duke University Medical Center[2] from a former Navy corpsman who worked with her in her cardiac unit.

[4] They put on a dance, sold tickets and raised enough funds to replace her household items and buy clothing and Christmas presents for the kids that year.

[3] Right before her graduation she met with Doctor Eugene Stead to talk about her employment and she was exploring the possibility of working for a couple of local African-American physicians who had been her preceptors in the program.

[5] After retirement, Nichols stayed involved in her community in various capacities, including raising money for healthcare and volunteering in political campaigns.