October 12, 2015 was my first day official day as a nurse at my current nursing job. It has officially been three years and I am shocked that I still get paid to do this! I am still somewhat shocked that I am a nurse and my job is to care for people. I do not take this fact for granted. I am pleased to know I am in such a respected and lucrative profession. It still makes me very happy to know I care take care of the essentials for myself and continue to attempt to live my best life. It is a true blessing.
When I started this nursing thing, it was women’s health or bust. I was going to be labor and delivery nurse. It ended up being bust. I started off in Telemetry for my orientation, and took an opportunity very early in my career to explore and train in the Perioperative Services area, mainly outpatient. I trained in GI lab, which I thought I was going to love. 8 hour shift, 5 days a week. Sometimes the schedule allowed us to leave a little early. I soon missed my middle of the week days off and realized I liked 12 hour shifts. I had a quick stint in Day Surgery, then it was off to the Cardiac Catheterization Holding Room- where I have spent most of my time was a working nurse. I have done strictly pre/post workflow, with no procedural training. That was the deal when I signed up for this and I like it. I did not think I would like outpatient services as much as I do, but I think it’s a good fit for me.
With all that being said, this anniversary does not come without some form of contemplation (who would I be if I was not overthinking in some form or fashion and plotting on a potential next move?). I am coming to terms that my creative side needs a real outlet. I need to expand this platform and expand my Nurse Panda reach so I can merge the two when necessary. I would like to make more money. If you have read my other blog post where I bore my soul about my finances, you know I have been on a road to be a financial maven. If not, you an read them here and here. It is a slow process, and making more moola would be very beneficial. I have been following nurses incorporate their range of interests into nursing, and even expand their brand outside of nursing (see my most current inspo here). It is time for me to do the same. I enjoy being a nurse, but I know that I am meant to do so much more. That means I need to explore and execute through my other interests. I enjoy speaking to nursing students and new nurses about maximizing their career and how to create a more well rounded life. My friend and I think their are generally two kinds of nurses. There are the ‘pro’ nurses. They love everything about nursing, always wanted to be a nurse, and can’t see themselves doing anything else. These are the ones you see mainly soaring to the top of social media. I even follow them. They inspire me to be a better nurse and to continue to advance the nursing profession even in small ways. Then there are nurses like my friend and me. We enjoy our job and are grateful, but…there are SO many other things that we enjoy. I see myself doing a plethora of things. I have so many business ideas, and a majority of those do not include nursing.
For a long time because I did not view myself as one of those ‘pro-nurses’, I did not think my voice deserved to be heard among the popular nurses out there. Nay I say! If anything, I feel there are nurses that are waiting to see themselves represented. They are done with school and want to know what’s next. So with that being said, I will be rolling out a range of new content here on my blog that follow my many, many interests- hoping it will encourage other people to live out loud in their own way. I live alone and realize that there is a certain way I want my house to be run. So I will be chronically my journey to less waste. I enjoy shopping in bulk, buying more ecofriendly products and thrifting. I love to travel, so I will be showcasing my travels more and how I save money when booking these trips. I may be gainfully employed, but taxes are not joke. I love a good craft, and would like to get into reupholstering and refurbishing furniture, as well as woodworking, so you will see that as well. I will also be talking about nursing- dealing with discrimination, nurse/nurse relations, and expanding your knowledge without going back to school. It’s taken me three years to finally decide that I can be and deserve to be more than my career and degree have made me. I am giving myself the space to operate on all God given cylinders and see where this goes. I will be debuting merchandise soon which I am really excited about! I already have a collaborative eBook out with YellowCake Bakery that I feel is a great purchase. It includes 12 seasonal recipes including a seasonal produce shopping list, two shopping tip sheets, and A LOT of home tips that will have you on the road to a more comfortably stylish home. Three years is still a baby in the nursing game, but as a 33 year old woman, I feel that I have done enough procrastinating on my life. It is time to live on purpose.
Thank you so much to each who took the time to read this and vibing along. I will be doing an anniversary giveaway next week, so subscribe to my blog and be the first to know when it starts. I hope that this inspires someone to start looking at how they can expand their life beyond scrubs and join me as we live our best lives!
Tell me what are you pursuing now outside of your career. Is there something you’ve always been interested in that you have been on the fence about diving into? Share in the comments below.
xoxo, Panda
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