Meet Nurse Dolly: The Georgia Nurse Making Health Lessons Fun for Children
For some children, a visit to the doctor can be an uncomfortable experience. The unfamiliar rooms, medical equipment and procedures can leave them nervous because they do not know what to expect.
Emari Etta-Tawo, a Georgia registered nurse and mother of two, is trying to change that through a children’s web series called “Mini Med School with Nurse Dolly.”
When she is working at Emory Healthcare, Etta-Tawo is a nurse. But when she steps in front of the camera, she becomes Nurse Dolly, using songs, stuffed animals and toys to teach children about their bodies, healthy habits and everyday healthcare.
The idea came to her in 2025 while watching YouTube videos with her sons. Etta-Tawo noticed that there was plenty of children’s content online, but not enough that explained health and the human body in a way young children could easily understand.
So she created her own.
Her videos cover simple but useful topics, including handwashing, feelings, checkups and X-rays. She also uses toys to act out visits to the doctor, giving children an opportunity to see what these experiences might be like before they have to face them themselves.
The response has been encouraging, with the videos attracting nearly 300,000 views.
For parents, the appeal is straightforward: the platform gives children a friendly introduction to healthcare while giving adults something they can watch and discuss with them.
Etta-Tawo is also showing children that healthcare can be a place where they belong. As a woman of colour working in nursing, she hopes her presence will encourage children to see themselves in healthcare careers.
And judging by the reaction of one four-year-old viewer, the message is already getting through. After watching Nurse Dolly, the child told her mother, “Mommy, I’m gonna be a smart doctor.”
