Nearly 80 years of service at the same hospital, this 97-year-old shares her advice for a fulfilling career.

Grace Carr has spent nearly her entire life working, volunteering, or studying at the same hospital, and at 97 years old, she has no plans of stopping.

During World War II in 1944, at the age of 17, Carr began training to become a nurse at St. Luke's Sacred Heart Campus in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

Since childhood, my dream was to become a nurse and work in a hospital, as evidenced by my spending hours playing "doctor" with my brother and bandaging my dolls, recounts Carr.

For over eight decades, Carr has been a near-constant presence at "The Heart," the hospital's nickname among staff.

In 1989, Carr left her nursing job at the hospital and spent the following three years working at a hospital-affiliated doctor's office before retiring at the age of 65. Following the death of her husband, Edward Carr, in 1993, she began volunteering at the hospital.

Over 6,000 hours, she has volunteered, visiting the hospital every Wednesday to provide patients with water, lift their spirits with flowers, escort them to tests and procedures, and deliver specimens to the lab.

"Beth Fogel, the hospital's volunteer engagement specialist, who has known Carr for 20 years, describes her as "Amazing Grace." She says, "From the time she arrives in the morning until she leaves in the afternoon, she's like an Energizer Bunny, always eager to help and so much fun to be around.""

As a retiree, Carr had always planned to volunteer at the hospital. "I couldn't imagine my life without it," she says. "I love the people there, and my health is good, so I'm happy to help however I can."

Seeing 'the best and worst life has to offer' on the job

In Freeland, Pennsylvania, a small coal town located approximately 50 miles from the hospital, Carr spent her childhood. Following her high school graduation, she relocated to the Sacred Heart School of Nursing to pursue her nursing education, residing in a dormitory on the hospital's campus alongside other student nurses.

As a cadet nurse, Carr was studying while receiving government subsidies for her nursing school tuition through the U.S. Cadet Nurse Corps, which aimed to address nursing shortages during the war.

During her first year, she earned $15/month; in the second year, she made $20/month; and in her final year, she received $30/month.

In 1947, Carr graduated from nursing school and married her high school sweetheart, Edward, who had just returned from serving in the military during World War II.

She was hired to work the night shift on the medical-surgical floors at Sacred Heart for nearly 20 years, during which she raised four daughters and a son.

""Although I got very little sleep, I couldn't imagine doing anything else because I loved helping people and felt grateful to be doing something I loved," she says."

Nursing profession experiences high burnout, and Carr admits to feeling stress and exhaustion at times.

"Working in a hospital means witnessing the best and worst that life has to offer, she says. It was incredibly difficult to watch someone suffer or die from a medical ailment and knowing that we couldn't do more to help them."

Through the challenges, Carr found perseverance with the help of joyous occasions and meaningful relationships.

Nearly all of Carr's 12 grandchildren were born at Sacred Heart, and all five of her children were also born there.

Vincent Burns, the son-in-law of the woman who met him in the newborn nursery at the hospital, is now in his 70s.

"That experience has given her a greater sense of purpose in life," she says.

Grace Loring, Carr's daughter, worked in the pediatric ward at St. Luke's Sacred Heart Campus for 35 years before retiring.

Loring initially aspired to become a teacher, but after observing his mother's commitment and zeal for nursing, he decided to pursue a career in healthcare.

She drives her to and from the hospital every Wednesday for her volunteer shift, picking her up at her house in Allentown.

Her best advice for a long, happy career

According to Carr, the secret to finding a job you love is quite simple: work with people you like.

Carr has formed close friendships with many of her coworkers, including some of the nurses she started her career with. They still get together at each other's house for coffee or dinner and catch up.

An 85-year study from Harvard researchers supports Carrs' career advice that positive relationships are key to happiness throughout life.

Jobs that are the least fulfilling are often those that require less interaction with others and more solitary work.

"According to researchers Robert Waldinger and Marc Schulz, in their book "The Good Life," positive relationships at work result in lower stress levels, healthier workers, and fewer days when we return home upset."

In her free time, Carr enjoys reading, gardening, spending time with family, and watching "Law & Order."

Over the past three decades, her go-to activity hasn't shifted: bringing flowers to patients and catching up with her hospital friends.

"According to Carr, nursing isn't just a job, but a calling for me."

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