This week’s post is a reflection on my new venture which is in the world of podcasting. Yes, I am an informatics nurse by the week, a blogger, a dog walker, and now a podcaster by the weekend. You may think that I have too much on my plate, to the point that you may consider me a jack of all trades.

By the way, here is the first episode of that podcast: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3FbPs2jM9tUdmm5bMogC0s?si=6e65c5ef41db4763

Honestly speaking, I didn’t think that I will get to this point in my life. Back in college, all I knew was how to be a bedside nurse – to be a good one at that.

After graduation, I set out to start that journey. I volunteered as an emergency room nurse in my local hospital. Then, I continued to work in my alma mater as an infectious disease nurse. My first foray into a non-front-line nurse job was when I worked as a clinical instructor teaching students a few years my junior. Still, I didn’t think of myself as potentially exploring nursing jobs away from the bedside. In essence, I was not a nurse of all trades. Not at that point yet, anyway!

Coming to America, all I did was bedside nursing. Regardless of the setting – long-term care, Med-Surg, Pediatrics, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) – I worked as a front-line nurse.

I loved it! In fact, I still do!

There was instant gratification when my cancer patient came back in remission. There was elation whenever a NICU baby graduated after overcoming early challenges. Nevertheless, my move to informatics was paved by my earning a graduate degree. Even at that juncture, I still didn’t think that I will be where I am now wearing multiple hats.

http://pexels-shvets-production-7516386

Blogging Came First

As I stated in my very first blog post, I am a nurse by profession but a writer by heart. My job as a front-line nurse, in any department I may have worked in, didn’t really allow me to write as much. In fact, the only writing I did was progress notes on the patients’ charts. Maybe, I did a few emails here and there as well. However, those didn’t provide me with sufficient creative avenues to unleash the writer in me.

People may ask:

So why be a nurse or stick to nursing if you are itching to be a writer?

Trust me, I have been asking myself that question for decades. As I’ve said above, I love nursing too much just to leave it for something I am equally passionate about.

With that being said, I am continuing to explore ways that will allow me to marry my nursing expertise and my penchant for writing. Who knows, it may even open a new door for me!

Podcasting, too?

Speaking of exploring other trades, I may have conveniently forgotten the fact that I also used to dabble in debates and extemporaneous speaking in school. Modesty aside, I also have the give of gab!

Sure I could totally ramble on a lot of nonsensical things, but why waste time on that, right? As a seasoned nurse, I honestly feel empowered to inspire the next generation of nurses regarding the lessons learned by our contemporaries.

Part of my current job is onboarding incoming nurses and providers within our healthcare system. I consider that as my way of paying forward. But why stop with just influencing our future colleagues within our organization?

Utilizing Technology to Venture into Other Trades

Generation X people like myself are very independent and resourceful. While not as tech-savvy as our Millennial and Generation Z counterparts, we find ways and means to learn and use technology to our advantage.

Social media has provided us with platforms we never thought possible a couple of decades ago. I sincerely feel that technological platforms, if used productively, can positively steer our lives to prosperity and happiness.

Considering all these factors, I strongly believe that I have an even further reach to share my nursing message to anyone really who wants to pick up a lesson or two. I have had nursing students who reached out to me and verbalized that a blog post inspired them not to give up despite difficulties. A group of senior nursing students only saw my blog and asked me to help them out with their research project through virtual means.

A couple of nursing instructors asked me if they can incorporate some of my writings into their discussions. Nurses aspiring to migrate stated that they find the practical tips helpful. Finally, I still couldn’t wrap my head around being able to complete a webinar with hundreds of people in attendance.

These feedbacks keep me going! These affirm my belief that I can be of help beyond the bedside or my office desk.

Breaking Down the Lessons Learned

Needless to say, blogging and podcasting demand time. To others, maybe, they can be misconstrued as a waste of time. After all, if I am not actively pursuing economic trades by doing these ventures, then what are they for?

Those are fair questions to ask. Maybe, we will eventually get to the other “perks” in the future. For now, however, I am contented with touching lives through my brand of education or instruction within my sphere of influence. That circle may be small, just yet, but I completely believe that it will eventually grow.

Doing the blog for the past few months and the podcast for the last week, here are some of my learnings:

1. I should not consider the time spent doing something I love as a waste of time.
2. I have to keep my focus on my original purpose – to influence, inspire, and touch the lives of my fellow nurses regardless of where they are at in their careers.
3. Aside from influencing others, I should also be thankful for how enriching and cathartic this experience has been for me.
4. Not everything is about money. Don’t get me wrong. It will be great to be compensated of course! Nevertheless, the happiness and contentment felt inside trumps the monetary value each and every time.
5. With that being said, never say never! If and when the opportunity to earn through those avenues or trades presents itself, I will carefully consider it.

http://pexels-harry-cunningham-harrydigital-7383471

Last Words, for Now

I think all of us do things for different reasons. I won’t get tired of reiterating the fact that I love nursing. Sure, I don’t do bedside nursing as much as I used to before, but I still love helping my colleagues work smarter not harder. Maybe as we become seasoned in our practice, we couldn’t help but become mentors to the new breed of nurses.

Through my blog posts and podcasts, I want to prove that nurses don’t eat our young! Instead, we nurture them, and we set them up for success.

My father was an educator, and maybe I inherited that gene from him. He used to remind us that it is not the number that matters. If I am able to inspire and change the life of one person, that is already good enough. With platforms available for us to utilize, I want to multiply that hope of influencing one life as many times over!