Dr. James N. Nelson

I had the pleasure of meeting Dr Jim Nelson in 1989 while training as a psychiatry resident and rotating on the Active Duty inpatient Unit at the Long Beach VA where I still work today. Jim was always willing to help out in any setting as he loved his work. He was the only Attending Psychiatrist who would offer to help out with admissions or other patient care when we left for lectures at UC Irvine. He took us on many excursions to see the Battle ships in Long Beach or for adventures on other Military bases over the years. When I had the job to arrange for speakers for Grand Rounds, Jim would always volunteer his time and select an amazing and fascinating topic. Jim was always the first one to step up if there was an emergent situation. When we lost our resident coverage at night, Jim volunteered to take as many nights of call that was needed or to cover as many weekends that were unfilled. His was loved by his patients, some of whom still talk about him and miss him. He would never turn down a patient who walked in and needed to be seen regardless of his schedule. He shared his stories and his wisdom and books with me and I will never forget him. My life is better for knowing him.