Sally - Challenge, Educate and Change - Things Have a Way of Working Out

Sally -







At the time I went into nursing school, I was taking one of the only options I knew was available to me. It's a familiar story - a career choice dictated by traditional gender roles and a lack of knowledge about other career options. Fortunately for me, it was a choice that gave me what I was looking for - financial independence, intellectual stimulation, the chance to live anywhere I wanted, and spiritual satisfaction. I felt like nursing is literally a spiritual calling for me. It literally is. I don't talk about it normally, but I do feel that - every day I wake up and go to work, it's a way to help people in some way. And so that's what drives me and keeps me going.

I spent 11 years as a staff nurse in a hospital, enjoying work and taking pride in being a nurse. When I had the opportunity to get into nurse management, I saw it as an opportunity to learn and grow, and use my clinical experience. I learned from the challenges of being in management, but after a few years felt more drained than energized by the role, and confined by the institutional environment. So I decided to transition out of hospital nursing and management and into working in new roles in community settings.

But before I did, I decided to take time out from my career to complete a bachelor's degree at the University of Washington. I challenged myself intellectually, immersing in classes in history, social sciences, business and women's issues. I explored perspectives of the legal, business and academic fields, filling the knowledge void created when I jumped right into a nursing program after high school and focused exclusively on it for so many years.

Afterwards, I focused on finding my fit in the nursing profession. I worked in pediatric home health care, which was extremely rewarding."If you don't fit in somewhere, move on. And make your own rules." I then chose to work in several different part-time jobs in new areas that interested me rather than return to a full-time position. Eventually I got to the point where I wanted to focus on just one position again. But which one? I needed help figuring out a new direction. At the suggestion of a career counselor, I attended a workshop on developing professional strengths. My eyes were opened to skills I hadn't recognized - leadership and communication among them.

I saw clearly more options in my career outside of traditional nursing roles. I saw that I could apply my leadership skills to any field, which was very important to me. As a result, I began to recast myself, my career, and the way I saw myself in my career.

And so I asked myself, "If I could do anything, what would I do?" I realized that I wanted to conduct research for a physician or attorney in a small office. I knew if I worked side by side with someone, in either of those professions, I'd be doing in-depth, analytical work and writing, and still use my nursing experience - they could appreciate my nursing skills in some way. I was hired on as a part-time medical research assistant for an orthopedic surgery practice, and resonated professionally with the surgeon and the mission.

About a year later, I started my master's degree in population-based health with a focus on older adults with muscular-skeletal health care needs. And after another year, the surgeon and I started our own non-profit research and education organization. It was a mechanism to pay my salary, but it was also a way we could pursue our bigger vision. Today, we are successfully achieving our goals. We are well respected in the community for our work in public health and bridging systems that don't usually work together.

As far as the future of nursing, I firmly believe that there are many opportunities for nurses to influence policy, and to shape and educate the community. Nurses have to find their way into non-traditional roles like I've done. We have to know how to identify a need and opportunity, and the value that we offer. We must do that by walking the talk - demonstrating that there are needs out there and showing how nurses can fill them.

Finally, nurses must be willing to become experts in areas that aren't traditionally connected to nursing. Nursing can be limiting in some ways. As a result, I think nurses can feel trapped, and give up hope and be afraid to make a change. But you can do an awful lot with a nursing degree and more education . . .you know, if you don't fit in somewhere, move on, and make your own career rules. Don't be afraid to take some steps outside of nursing in a new direction you might be the only one doing it, but you can lead the way for others.

Power Strategy: Independence, Intellect, Pioneer, Influence
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