Daily Nurse is proud to honor Doris Chapman, Patient Care Technician at Luminis Health Doctors Community Medical Center in Lanham, Maryland, as our Nurse of the Week. Chapman’s half-century of hands-on care, unwavering compassion, and deep community ties embody the very heart of nursing. Chapman isn’t just part of the hospital’s history—she is the history.
Chapman began her journey at the hospital in 1975, the day it opened its doors. Back then, she worked as a housekeeper, helping prepare the newly minted Doctors Community Hospital for its first patients. She remembers the celebratory energy of that inaugural day, from ribbon-cuttings to evening open houses. What started as a job quickly became a lifelong calling.
Over the years, Chapman’s talent for connecting with people and relentless work ethic caught the attention of her supervisors. In the early 1990s, she transitioned into clinical care by earning her certification as a Nursing Assistant—now recognized as a Patient Care Technician (PCT). The classes were held at the hospital, allowing her to grow professionally without missing a beat.
And grow she did. Since then, she’s played a vital role in patient care, providing comfort, hands-on support, and a familiar, compassionate presence for generations of local families with the same warmth, presence, and dedication she’s been known for since day one.
Technology and hospital buildings have evolved since 1975, but Chapman’s commitment to her patients and community has never wavered. She says the most significant change over the past fifty years has been the evolution of technology, which has made jobs easier and saved more lives. But no device can replace the human connection Chapman brings to every room she enters.
A lifelong Prince George’s County resident, Chapman is a familiar face not just inside the hospital but around the community. Many patients and their families recognize her—some across multiple generations. She’s been honored with numerous awards and recognitions throughout her career, including one particularly memorable throwback: a month of free gas from an on-site hospital pump!
Now in her early 70s, Chapman has no plans to retire. “I take after my mother,” she says with a smile. I don’t want to sit at home.” This May, during Healthcare Week, Luminis Health planted a tree on the hospital campus in her honor—a living symbol of her enduring impact, the roots she has planted in the hospital, and the hearts of those she has served.
Chapman exemplifies the spirit of healthcare at its finest: respectful, inclusive, service-oriented, and excellent—RISE values in action. Congratulations, Doris Chapman, and thank you for 50 extraordinary years of service.
Nominate a Nurse of the Week! Every Wednesday, DailyNurse.com features a nurse making a difference in the lives of their patients, students, and colleagues. We encourage you to nominate a nurse who has impacted your life as the next Nurse of the Week, and we’ll feature them online and in our weekly newsletter.
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