What unique nursing characteristics, talents, or tools do you bring to the nursing profession?

My uniqueness, on paper, is that I come to nursing from another career and a different degree. I have a BA from the University of Washington in Communications and spent the time after school working in tech.

The real answer is that we all are unique; that the shape of our lives and where we live and the friends that we keep and the media we consume shape the influence we bring to any space we stand in. These ways I fill my soul are the threads of myself, as a nurse and as a compassionate human of the world.

The long nights spent reading science-fiction novels, frequent road trips to the mountains, my high school years in Albuquerque, and my best friend and her two daughters are all woven into my fabric. These people and these experiences influence how I approach new people and the stories I share, and the hope I have for the future.

What is an area for growth in the next year? What will you need to achieve this goal?

Being a beginner is incredibly difficult. Fumbling around looking for supplies, having to find a centering breath before starting a new procedure, asking questions with the nagging suspicion that it is obvious — these moments of insecurity are the most difficult hurdles I will have to overcome.

Thankfully I have many clinical hours under my belt in new facilities with unique supply rooms to prove to myself that I can do it. I will need to build a scaffolding of confidence around my nascent skills and will need to remind myself that everyone starts at the bottom. Being nervous about doing something new is okay, turning away from the challenge is not. These beginner moments are what lifelong learning is all about.

If you could go back in time to the beginning of nursing school, what advice, tool, or information would you give yourself?

The beginning of nursing school is fascinating to reflect on because we — as a school community, as a city, as a nation, as a globe — were still very much in the throes of the pandemic. There was no news of a vaccine, we were still wiping down our groceries, and the future was very uncertain.

Retrospectively, I would have told myself to be patient — patient with myself, patient with my colleagues, patient with the school. Uncertainty is not something I enjoy, and I found the beginning of nursing school to be defined by the unknowns. I kept asking myself: Would we ever be in person? Would we have in-person clinicals? Would I ever get through pathophysiology without a study group? The answer was that things would work out; I just needed to let time unfold.

The fear that griped us as a community would not be everlasting, and that we as a nursing school cohort would find our way to each other. In those early days of zoom lectures, the isolation, and the insecurity were a trial for me. Just how badly did I want to become a nurse? I’m proud to say that I proved my grit and desire, and I stayed tuned to the clarion bell of nursing.

What resiliency strategies do you intend to incorporate in your nursing practice to aid in mitigating burnout and empathy/compassion fatigue?

My resiliency is built upon an internal tool kit. In times of most distress, I turn inward and find my breath. I have several breathing exercises that I can turn to — box breathing is my favorite — and this is a great way to find a calm center very quickly. At home, I continue to build a meditation practice and practice turning towards discomfort without engaging with the feeling.

Burnout and compassion fatigue for me are both addressed by time away from my stress and a change of scenery. A hike on a day off, finding solace in the trees, and the sound of tree branches crunching under my feet, help me feel re-energized. Vacations are a must for me, as travel and new sights and exploring unknown cities reinvigorates me and refreshes my curiosity about the world.