Q:
What inspired you to become a nurse?
A:
I was going to college, as a biology major, with no real plan, when I had a life-changing conversation with an old friend and she told me she was a nurse assistant. I didn’t even know that job existed, but it had good hours and it paid well. So I got trained and started working in a nursing home and fell in love with people. I had always been in the service industry as a waitress or bartender, and I had a brain for science, but nursing never crossed my mind as a career that could include both.
I work in a practice that sees patients in the office as well as in the hospital. It is great that I am able to follow them along the continuum of care.
Q:
What do you love most about being a nurse?
A:
The ability to help people in a specific way that makes them feel comfortable, peaceful, and secure when a lot of them are experiencing one of the most difficult days of their lives. When a patient says ‘I’m so glad you’re here’ it makes it all worth it.
Q:
What’s a typical day like for you as a nurse?
A:
I work 4 days a week, and 10-hour days. I see patients in the office with and without the attending MD, as well as round in the adjacent hospital with the MD. Most common activities are H&P, physical exam, EKG interpretation, diagnostic imaging review, and medication management.
Q:
What’s your advice for someone just starting out as a nurse?
A:
When you have questions, ask them. Your question may be something that turns into an industry breakthrough for the next generation of nurses.
