She put herself through nursing education while being a mother to her two children. She worked in a number of hospitals, but her working career is probably most known for her service in 3 Main in what was then called University Community Hospital (UCH).

3 Main was the step down unit from the ICU, though many of her patients still had critical care needs. Joyce essentially ran the floor and spent most of her time checking on patients, though sitting at a desk monitoring telemetry and answering questions from nurses and doctors is how she might have spent her time.

From UCH she moved to Moffitt Cancer Center, a nationally renowned cancer research and treatment center, where she spent years in the transplant unit where even the most basic treatment actions had to be done with precision due the fragility of the patients.

In the course of her career, she attained certifications in Critical Care, Oncology, and Cardiology; certifications that she still keeps current today.

In 2008, Joyce retired from paid nursing and has essentially become a Patient Advocate for friends, relatives, church members, friends of friends, and sometimes even friends of friends of friends. A FREE Patient Advocate.

So it was no surprise, when, in the Baltimore airport, when Joyce saw a male passenger definitely in trouble, she jumped right into assist. Because the man was barely responsive, Joyce kept monitoring his vital signs to ensure he wasn't going to "code" right there in the terminal. And she kept his wife informed of what she was doing, and why she was doing it. She did this until the airport paramedics arrived, but by this time the man had mostly recovered. When an airport security policewoman then attempted to send Joyce on her way, the patient's wife said, "No! She has to stay here. She save my husband's life."

That may or may not have been true, but Joyce surely stepped into a bad situation, and through her demonstrated professionalism, turned it for the better.