Independence in Nursing

[00:01] Michelle: Hey, happy day after the 4th of July. Yesterday was July 4th, the day Americans celebrate Independence Day. And if you were lucky, you had the day off to spend it with friends and family, barbecuing, attending a parade, boating, picnicking, swimming, but just in general, relaxing. Come dusk, you might have seen a spectacular fireworks show at your local stadium. Or you might have opted for a riskier version of a fireworks show, one done in your driveway or cul de sac, not by a professional pyrotechnist, but instead by Uncle Darryl, who's already missing three fingers and is completely deaf in one ear. But seriously, what exactly does Independence Day signify? July 4th marks the day when the American colonies adopted the Declaration of Independence, declaring their freedom from the British monarchy. Notice I said adopted. It was signed on July 2nd, but it took Congress two days to approve it and it seems Congress hasn't changed much since 1776. But what does this all have to do with independence and nursing? Let's get into it. 

I titled this episode Independence in Nursing because what I'm going to talk about are nurses that practice independently of the hospital system, as in working as business owners or private contractors. And please note, I am not opposed to hospital nursing. I worked in a hospital for 40 years, 36 of those years as a nurse, and I loved every minute of it. Well, except for my last two years during COVID but that kind of sucked for everybody. I highly recommend that new nurses gain experience as hospital nurses for at least one to two years in order to develop a variety of skills, including technical skills like using an electronic medical record, and practical skills such as administering medications, starting IVs, performing assessments, reading EKG strips, and more. Effective communication skills are crucial with providers, colleagues, patients, and families, and it takes time to learn these skills and refine them. But 40 years of hospital experience? It's not necessary. Again, as I said, I loved it. But just know there are many other options. I wasn't aware of the incredible work done by nurses outside of hospitals until I had the opportunity to interview so many of them. So let's take a moment to appreciate these amazing nurses. 

For episode two, I interviewed my longtime friend and colleague Di Hoffman, who currently serves as the assistant professor of pediatrics at Westmont College in Santa Barbara. Although Di did not begin her career as a nursing professor, she acquired the necessary skills through decades of working with pediatric, NICU, and postpartum patients in a hospital. To become a professor at the college, she needed to obtain a doctorate in nursing practice, which meant returning to school. But now she can teach nursing at any college or university in the United States and it all started with hospital nursing. Leah Elliott, my guest for episode 16, is a nursing professor at a state college, but only after many years of working in labor and delivery. Leah is also a legal nurse consultant, which brings a great amount of independence to her role as a private contractor. Heather Vails in episode seven, left many years of bedside NICU nursing to become a professor of pediatrics at her local community college. And then there's Victoria Gutierrez in episode 35, who left the ICU to pursue school nursing, fell in love, and never looked back. By now, you know that Jennifer Caposella is my sister, and we had a great time chatting in my closet for episode three, Flight Nursing. If you want your independence from hospital nursing, flight nursing just may be for you, especially if you are already a critical care nurse. Jennifer was a labor and delivery nurse before transitioning to critical care, but during her time in L&D, she gained experience caring for high-risk OB patients, which helped make her transition to ICU a little smoother. She then worked an additional seven years in ICU before making the jump to flight nursing. As she said in the interview, "As a flight nurse, you learn a lot about aviation, weather, decision-making, and critical thinking." I mean, flight nurses can intubate, insert chest tubes and perform other critical skills therefore, they have a great deal of independence. 

Nurse entrepreneurs like my guests Joan Ortiz in episode five, Taofiki Gafar-Schaner in episode 17, and Brenna Frigulti in episode 10, well, they created their own independence. Joan invented a high-quality breast pump and is the vice president of her successful company, but not without working as a pediatric nurse for almost two decades first. Taofiki is simultaneously an informatics nurse and the co-inventor of a product called SafeSeizure, which is currently exploding onto the hospital market. And Brenna has done travel nursing for many years and just launched her business as an aesthetics nurse, hoping soon to make it her primary occupation. Several nursing specialties offer both in-hospital work and independent practice options. In episode 14, my guest CRNA Flo Schenke shared that she enjoys working in both settings. She can work in a hospital or as an independent contractor for surgical centers. Meanwhile, my longtime friend and colleague David Wilson of episode 20 is a dialysis nurse who worked at an in-hospital dialysis unit for many years before transitioning to an independent chronic dialysis unit. He eventually retired and went on to travel the world, lucky duck. In episode 41, our guest Alicia Sandidge-Renteria shares her experience working as a nurse practitioner in a local hospital for several years before transitioning to a family practice clinic, which she found to be a fulfilling move.
 
The next four nurses are shining examples of entrepreneurial spirit. My guest for episode 29 was Kirby Williams, a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner who works for an outpatient mental health facility and has her own business mentoring other mental health practitioners. Farah Laurent my guest for episode 45, was a longtime badass emergency room nurse who now coaches fellow nurses on how to become nursepreneurs. I'll never get tired of that word. And just last week for episode 49, I spoke with Nicole Weathers, who co-created a medical marketplace where nurses can buy and sell professional development resources. Last but not least, there's Nicole Cromwell, who in episode 46 told us she discovered art as therapy from the burnout she experienced from many years of ICU nursing. She continues to work ICU on a part-time basis, but supplements her income with sales from the beautiful abstract seascapes she creates, while also reaping the benefits that creating art provides. 

All of these nurses mentioned here today have ventured outside of the traditional nursing roles and have created their own opportunities. They can now set their own schedules, be their own bosses, and have limitless earning potential. They are truly living their independence in nursing. 

I hope you enjoyed this episode on Independence in Nursing on this day after Independence Day, and if you have comments, I'd love to hear them! You can always go to my website, theconversingursepodcast.com, and leave me a message. Or you can DM me on Instagram @theConversingNursepodcast. I would really like to know what you're thinking. Thanks and I'll see you soon.