Today You Are A Nurse

Today’s the day…the day God made you for. Today you’re a nurse…but not just any nurse you see you’re a community, investigative, forensic, entrepreneurial, home health, cardiology, psychiatric, prenatal, labor and delivery, yoga, mental health, and public home health Nurse!

You are probably thinking how can I be all those things right now?

The beauty is you don’t have to be but you have the potential to be any nurse your mind can conceive. It’s all a matter of perspective.

Just as the body parts and systems interact to become a living human organism, so does our generalist nursing foundation and career experiences serve as the catalyst to a never ending nursing journey.

When we graduated we had everything we needed to succeed on this nursing adventure.

What’s that you ask?

Hopefully your school afforded you a solid and for most a great generalist nursing education foundation. See Luke 6:46-49. These scriptures serve as a reminder that with a solid foundation anything is possible regardless if you are in your first semester or a seasoned professional a solid generalist nursing education is going to increase your success.

I have learned in my short tenure as a nurse that I am fully capable to succeed in any nursing passion I desire. This does not mean it will not be hard work as I am learning in my new entrepreneurial role but at the onset we have it!

I too was told what I am sure millions of us nurses have heard; work two years at the bedside on med surg, get your “experience”, and then pursue your dreams!

My problem with this logic is-

1) not everyone is passionate about acute care nursing and trust me you want a nurse who enjoys what he or she is doing especially since your life depends on it.

2) By the time you  have gained this so called” experience” your true passion for your actual purpose in nursing may be diminished and a compassion fatigued nurse is just as bad a nurse only in this profession for riches.3) it goes against human nature. We were all created regardless what you believe to be individuals otherwise anyone could do it.

Follow your own star. Do you believe and have faith?

Bottom line: be the nurse that makes you want to get up in the morning or propels you to work at night …and if you don’t believe this is true my nursing degree has afforded me to work as a team lead in a Women’s Health Clinic to currently a regulatory public health agency as a specialist.

Each experience along the way, good or bad helped me build my nursing skills and in my case place me on the path to perfect my public health practice.

I have never worked two years in med surg and I know many other nurses with similar stories.

There is nothing wrong with doing med surg. Some of my close friends work on the floor and I commend them but it just wasn’t for me and the beauty is this career allows something for everyone.

For me the community has always had my heart and working 12 hr shifts on acute care floor sounded about as fun as a root canal whereas working at a local clinic helping young girls progress through their pregnancy with a healthy baby brought me joy no matter  the rough days.

To you it may be something else. Whatever it is you have it!

Raqui Ward BSN RN (also known as Kimberly) currently works as a regulatory public health nurse and nursepreneur, and no two days are alike! After hours you can find “Raqui” spending time with her supportive hubby, reading, and enjoying the journey of self-discovery. Connect with Raqui on her blog, LinkedIn, Facebook, or email – raquiwardrn@gmail.com