Mark Atchley
Chattanooga, Nurse
A couple of golfing buddies helped change Mark Atchley’s life.
After getting laid off from his job, he turned to his friends for a bit of career advice. The friends, all male nurses, told him about their profession and some of its benefits.
“I thought I could find something good and I couldn’t, so I figured I had to find something that was in demand,” Atchley said. “Back when I was younger, male nurses were made fun of. But the guys were good golfers.”
One of the pluses about being a nurse, he was told, is that they get plenty of time to spend with family or on a golf course.
So he received more education and now is an emergency room nurse at T.C. Thompson Children’s Hospital. He spent time Tuesday afternoon practicing his short game at Brainerd Golf Course.
“I enjoy coming out here because I don’t get a lot of time to myself and I enjoy chipping and putting a bit,” Atchley said. “It’s good relaxing quiet time, and I got all my yard chores done yesterday.”
Atchley has played most of the public courses in the Chattanooga area and a few of the private ones. He and his nursing/golfing buddies used to take a three-day golf vacation to North Carolina until this year.
“I missed a lot of my children’s activities when they were little because I was working, but this job is great for having family time,” Atchley said. “I’m not very good at golf, but I really enjoy striving to be better.”