Sisters Bring Family Mindset To Patients' Care: Brick Heroes

BRICK, NJ — When Samantha Culloo was younger, she knew she wanted to work in the medical field. Her sister, Sierra, wasn't as sure early on.

Now both sisters have found themselves working to help those in need of medical care in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. Samantha works as an emergency room nurse at Jefferson Hospital in Washington Township, Sierra as a case manager working with people with brain injuries at Bancroft Neurorehab in Cherry Hill.

Both young women have one main thought in mind: treating their patients like family, their mother, Carolyn Culloo of Brick said.

"Sam goes the extra yard for all her patients," Carolyn Culloo said as she nominated her daughters for recognition as part of Patch's effort to honor those doing good in the community. "She (Sam) works with this motto in mind: 'If you were my family member, I would do this or that,' and she does it. Sam wears her heart on her sleeve and it shows!"

Of Sierra, Carolyn Culloo said: "Sierra sees her patients as family members and wants only the best for them. She visits with them because their own families can't see them during the pandemic. Sierra is loyal and she has your back always."

Carolyn Culloo said Samantha, who graduated from Brick Memorial High School in 2012, always knew exactly what she wanted. After getting a bachelor's in psychology, she went on to get a bachelor's of science in nursing.

Sierra, a 2015 Brick Memorial graduate, started out in nursing, but found her way to the public health aspect. She has a master's in public health now and is working on a PhD in clinical psychology.

Carolyn Culloo said the choice to pursue health care was a different career path than those of their parents.

"Neither of us work in health care," she said. Their commitment to helping people, especially in the midst of the pandemic, makes her and her husband very proud, she said.

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