DUKE STARS — Dee Harman
 Name: Dee Harman
Years of service: 10
Title: Clinical Nurse II
Department: Duke Life Flight
To many patients, Dee Harman must seem like an angel descending from the sky — except she has rotary blades for wings.
Harman, a nurse with Duke Life Flight, was in the seventh grade when she saw a TV news story featuring a helicopter ambulance nurse. After that she was hooked.
"I said, 'That's what I want to be when I grow up,'" Harman recalled. "My mom thought I was crazy." But she held onto her childhood dream, which got her through nursing school, where she met a Life Flight nurse who gave her advice about making her dream job a reality. Harman followed the nurse's tips, plus some, earning a second degree to become a paramedic and then working various nursing jobs to gain as much experience as possible.
"I couldn't see myself doing anything else," Harman explained. "I've always liked helping people and making a difference — I thought nursing would be the best way to do that. It's very gratifying to help someone in their time of need."
Ten years ago she and her husband John, also a nurse, moved to North Carolina. Harman applied to Duke because of its Life Flight program. She initially held positions in the ICU and ER at Duke University Hospital while waiting for an opportunity to take to the sky with Duke Life Flight. Two years ago, at age 34, Harman accepted a ground transport position with Life Flight with the hope that an air transport position would eventually become available. It did, and Harman jumped at it.
"I'm always excited when I put the uniform on and come to work," Harman said, dressed in a navy blue and black flight suit. "Every time I go up in the helicopter I have a big smile on my face and I think,
'I did it.'"
In her work, Harman enjoys helping others, but she's also been grateful for the support from her co-workers at Duke in meeting challenges in her own life. In May 2006, her husband received a call from the Navy — he was asked to return to active duty for a year at Camp Lejeune. Harman had just had their third daughter, who was 3 months old. With no relatives in the area, she worried about how she'd manage on her own.
"My co-workers took me in and made me feel like a part of their family," Harman said. One co-worker even recommended a nanny, who Harman has described as a life saver.
The unpredictability of life and her job keeps Harman excited. Some days at work she may get no calls while other days she responds to an accident or flies as far as Florida to transport a patient to or from Duke Hospital. Harman said she enjoys visiting other hospitals and representing Duke.
"When they see someone in a Life Flight suit from Duke, they expect the best," Harman said. "They're calling on us for help, so I always try to stay positive to create a positive, lasting impression of Life Flight and Duke."
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