For Long Island mother and her sons, nursing is a family affair

LONG ISLAND - May 6 is National Nurses Day, and for the Mohans on Long Island, the career is a family affair.

Kalowti Mohan and her two sons are all nurses who work together at Long Island Jewish Valley Stream Hospital. 

"My husband always said we’re going to hear about nursing now - ‘Oh nursing, nursing, nursing’," Kalowti said. 

Kalowti was a nurse in her native country of Guyana and turned to banking when she first came to America. Once she became a citizen, she went back to school to get her degree. And it just so happened to be at the same time Khemraj was getting his.

"I told him don’t tell anyone we’re mother and son but then it so happened someone asked if he’s dating me and he said oh no! So that let the cat out of the bag," she said. 

The matriarch of the family who is credited as the driving force behind it all is the reason why her younger son Barry is also a nurse. 

"The patients love her," he said. "It made me strive to be like that. This is what nursing is."

Michelle Osborne hired all three of them. The director of patient services says until she met the Mohans she never heard of three nurses from one family working at the same hospital.

"One of the things we want is for patients to get a good experience," Osborne said. "I know from each and every one of them my patients are going to get that."

Come Mother’s Day when both of Kalowti’s sons are working, she has no choice but to understand their schedules and hours - holidays after all are limited in the medical field they’ll find a time to celebrate after.

"All I can do is try to make her proud," Barry said. 

It’s fair to say both of her sons already have.