Is Your Teen Interested in Working in the Medical Field?

Damia: Hello, everyone. Welcome back to the Self-reliant Steward podcast. I’m your host, Damia Shimmin. And today I have a guest with me, Angie Pierce. She is a nurse practitioner and I’ve invited her to onto the podcast to interview her, to help your teens, to see if this might be a career that they would want to go into. So thank you, Angie, for being here. And why don’t you just start by telling us a little bit about yourself. 

Angie: Thank you for having me, Damia. Well, I have been a nurse practitioner for 20 years and a nurse for years before that. So combined, I’ve got 35 years experience in the healthcare field, and I’ve really enjoyed it because nursing has given me a lot of flexibility with raising my family and being able to choose a lot of different avenues with nursing.

I’m a mom of four and I. Being a busy mom, being able to have a career that suited me was really important. And I feel like that.  My career also helped me , as I raised my family, so it was sort of adaptable in being able to help, like knowing when I needed to take my kids into the doctor, that I could kind of assess on my own and kind of take care of my kids in that way.

I’m a very motivated person. I am very driven with some of the goals and plans that I have. And so it’s just kind of fun to know that I have a career that can keep up with me. Because I’ve done fun things like jumping out of planes and wrestling alligators. So I’ve had a lot of fun kind of just challenging myself to do different things to be able to get out of my comfort zone and, and just live life really adventurous.

So that’s kind of about me. 

Damia: I love that you point out that your career fit who you wanted to be. You wanted to be a mom, you wanted to have that flexibility in your career,  and then it really fit your,  kind of your personality of what you wanted to do. I think that is great.  So how did you decide to go into that field, to go into nursing?

Angie: I remember when I was in high school, we were exploring the whole career thing. Once upon a time we did aptitude tests and I tested to be a physical therapist and I remember doing a job shadow and it was the most boring day of my life. So I looked at things like being a flight attendant, because I love to travel.

I looked at things of being a design like an interior designer, because I love transformation and I love sewing.  But I looked into that as a major career and it was like nothing that would really pay well. So just really a lot of pondering and deep dive and kind of went for a little bit on the practicality of what   would fit with raising a family and nursing popped up. So when I was a senior in high school, that’s what I decided and kind of never looked back.

Damia: And what does a day typically look like for you as a nurse or nurse practitioner? I guess a nurse practitioner now, right? 

Angie: Yeah, I’m a nurse practitioner now. That has evolved over the years. As a nurse, I started at St. Mark’s hospital and I worked on the med surg floor. And so I, I actually started working in the, on the graveyard shift because one, we got paid more, you got the differentials and I just, and they had that they would offer. So to me, I was ready to optimize; if I’m going to be that work I might as well optimize my pay. So I did work with the hospital. It was very demanding, especially working at graveyard shift because you don’t have all the other resources. I haven’t been in the hospital for 20 years, so I don’t know how that’s changed.

I know they have more support staff than they once upon a time did, but as a night shift nurse. We got to be the secretary,  the CNA,  we,  pulled off the orders. We actually, I mean, we did a lot of things, so I got really good at the jack of all trades. And I think that was actually really helpful for me in so many other aspects of my life.

You learn a lot of problem solving skills and you learn a lot of triaging skills to be able to decide what is the most important, what’s got to get done now. And being able just to kind of make those decisions very quick minded on the spot. Because when you’re in a code situation,  you’ve got to be able to just know exactly what you’re doing and,  how to do it and work with a team.

So that was a big piece when I was in the hospital, and then I had the opportunity once I got my nurse practitioner license to work in private clinics. And that’s just a whole different rhythm because instead of night shifts and weekends, I was in during day shifts, you know, eight to five kind of a thing.

But then again, you’re working with a team very differently. You’re working with patients very differently because instead of an acute setting where they’re coming in from surgery or an injury, you’re dealing with more long term issues. And so again,  your problem solving is a big piece of it. Your ability just to hold space and just listen to people, because when people are overwhelmed, you know, they can get really challenged in their emotions and how do you be able to navigate that and know that they just need some help and they need to be seen and taken care of. So it really kind of brought in the personal skills more so when I started working in the private clinic I liked the private clinic because there was a lot of things that gave me more autonomy and being able to be responsible for a certain set of patients and being able to navigate kind of through their care plans and so forth really gave me a lot of ownership in what I was doing. So that’s kind of cool. 

Damia: And as a nurse practitioner now, is that what the second part you were explaining was? Or is there, is it different now?

Angie: Yeah, so I went into the private clinics as the nurse practitioner. And so I was sort of assigning certain patients on my own. And that’s where the autonomy really came in as being a nurse practitioner.

And so, as a nurse practitioner, you are licensed and have the scope of practice to assess, diagnose, and prescribe. And so that’s very different; as nurses, there’s actually a lot of responsibility, but diagnosing and prescribing is not part of the nursing scope. So as a nurse,  It adds in those different elements of responsibility as well as sort of what you can do.

Like, I currently work with a chiropractor right now, his scope of practice is different from mine. So between the two of us, we can really expand the services we offer; because he can’t prescribe the same way I can.  I’m able to do IV therapy; I’m able to do the prescriptions; I’m be able to do some of the documents and so forth that  his scope of practice doesn’t allow him to do.

So it’s really been a collaborative effort. And that’s sort of I see where more nurse practitioners are being utilized is being able to offer that scope that expands how you take care of a patient and being able to work in more  fine tuned areas because   healthcare is expanding and changing, and the demands of the population are becoming different and they need more one on one care. And so nurse practitioners have a tendency in our training, we’re taught more about looking at sort of all the aspects, the social aspects, the  economic aspects and so forth to be able to allow what does this patient really need to be able to truly get better. So that’s been the exciting part of being a nurse practitioner is adding all of those elements from the foundation I had as a nurse to be able to really open that up and   Influence people in a positive way as they’re managing their health care. 

Damia: That’s awesome. It’s really cool that it gives you the flexibility and you can collaborate with other people to expand what you offer. That’s really cool.

And so what is the salary range for your career? And it probably varies depending on where you live.

Angie: Sure, state to state does make a difference. Most of the time if you are working in private practice or within a collaboration as a full time nurse practitioner, over 100, 000 a year is anticipated. Part time situations would change that. There’s a lot more nurse, practitioners working independently running some of these med spas and so forth. So that’s where the variability comes in. I’ve talked to other colleagues.

Sometimes they’re contracted out, you get a base salary and then a percentage of what you build. So that’s sometimes where contracts come in.

And so it’s just a matter of really, I think, knowing your worth and being able to contract for that. Because it’s easy to get stuck in sort of a W 2 situation where you’re just an employee versus being a collaborative independent contractor. So that’s something I kind of learned over the years of being able to know your worth and ask for it and know that your scope of practice is worth being paid for.

Damia: That’s awesome. I love that. I’ve actually just started learning about that with my own businesses, learning what my value is to keep that in my mind to know then how to price things. So that’s really cool.

So what has motivated you to stay in your line of work?

Angie: I would say the variability that it offers, really, because even in the hospital, I was at the hospital for almost 12 years, I changed different units that I worked in, because it just gave me something different to get involved in. So I went from med surge. I was able to learn to be chemo certified. I actually worked a short time on the postpartum floor.

And then the last six years I worked in ICU and adding more skills even in that realm to work with more complicated patients. So that gave me just something where I was always learning. And when I shifted into private practice, the first private practice I worked in was fertility care. I had had personal experiences as a fertility patient.

And so I had a lot of investment in that topic. And so that was a really cool place for me to work. And I spent 15 years there. And then. As I learned something more, I was able to reach out to a different clinic and work there. And so working with the chiropractor allows me to do more holistic complementary medicine.

And so it’s just continued to evolve. And for me, that’s really a big piece is I love learning. I love being able to just keep exploring with curiosity. And so allowing my career to expand with that has been really fun. 

Damia: That’s awesome. I know a lot of people need variety in their lives. And it sounds like being a nurse or a nurse practitioner can really provide that variety and that continual learning. So that’s cool.

Angie: Absolutely. 

Damia: So what did your education path look like to become a nurse and then a nurse practitioner? 

Angie: What I did is I started with my bachelor’s. I felt like that I, if I was going to go to school, I wanted just to go all the way. But I also recognize, especially in nursing, that practical application was so critical.

And so for the bachelors, at the time, I was able to take half of my nursing courses, and then I sat for the LPN boards, licensed practical nurse, and I don’t even know if that’s  still available, but I sat for those boards and was able to start getting more clinical experience while I finished my bachelor’s program.

And then the nurse practitioner training is the master’s program. I know that there are more programs  encouraging doctorates, so it depends on where you’re going to be working if that doctorate is required. But most clinics that are looking at hiring only just need that master’s degree in nursing  and then you sit for the boards on it.

So mine’s a family nurse practitioner and they have other specific ones whether it be mental health versus pediatric or women’s health. And so there’s some specialties within that that then kind of change kind of where what area you would work But master’s degree is what I went for.

Damia: And is there anything that you would have done differently looking back in how you got to your career anything in your career?

Angie: I feel like that, for me, it worked well, and that’s why the clinical experience was a big thing. In fact, when I, when I do talk to anyone that’s interested in going into nursing, I say, go get your associates first. Get your associates, start working, get that clinical experience. Because good grades, nobody cares about good grades.

They want to know. Can you help me when I’m bleeding? Can you help me when I’m having a heart attack? They want to know. Do you know what’s happening? So really getting in that clinical experience has a big impact. And so I feel like that the way I did it with getting my extra  nursing degree or a license made a big difference for me.

It got me in the field and got me going. And that was where I feel like I had the best. So I wouldn’t change a lot. I think that it really created the foundation and each step has kind of built on each other. And as I continue to do things with my career, then they just continue to build. So I don’t have any regrets, but I do feel like that as I’m offering advice to those that are interested, get the associates first and get into that clinical experience.

And you can always go back and get a master’s and, or if you want a master’s, there’s a lot of programs that kind of blend the bachelor’s and master’s degree together. And so it’s actually. Sometimes less expensive and less time intensive but you’re already making money and getting some clinical experience that really makes the biggest impact.

Damia: Awesome, I love that you share that tip because obviously my podcast is about helping people live a debt free life, so anything that’s faster and saves some time and money is great.  Is there any advice that you would give anyone in figuring out what the best path for them would be? Because it sounds like you were pretty confident as you were going through your path.

Is there anything that you felt helped you be able to figure out what that was as you were going through? 

Angie: That’s an excellent question.  I really feel like that a lot of  people get involved in nursing because they love helping people and that’s a very noble thing. I think being able to know, “what do you need?

And what is your passion?” Like your passion should lead your pathway through life. And that’s something that I have probably come on to more later in my life than I really was aware of it. I was able to make a good life out of the choices I made.  That being said having that advice I think could really help.

So if you absolutely love kids and you want to do nursing and go for that pediatric or go for that maybe that  well mom, you know, working with moms and babies and so forth. I think that sometimes it doesn’t, it doesn’t have to be, Oh, because I love helping people. Maybe you love helping people in art and maybe nursing may not be your thing.

So it’s getting really clear about what motivates you. What brings you joy? What is your passion? And honestly, I found that even when we can look back at our little kid self and when we were between five and 10, what did we get lost in doing? Like, what was the thing we love doing the most? And sometimes that’s the very answer that tells us that if it’s art, if it’s music, if it’s really doctoring up all the dolls and knowing that, yeah, nursing is my true passion, then that’s the path to follow.

I think sometimes we go for what’s convenient or makes money and then we feel stuck and and then you’re starting over again anyway. So I think being able to really understand what really drives me, what really motivates me, what really like you know, lights me up, that should be your leading factor. And sometimes it may require a little more sacrifice and a little more exploring to what does this look like as a career?

However, I feel like that it creates a more abundant life overall with mental help and so forth. So that doesn’t really say go for nursing. It does say go for who you are. And when you’re following that path, that really makes a difference in  how you show up in your career. 

Damia: I love that. That’s exactly why I’m doing these interviews is to help people see what their options are and get a little bit of a taste of what would it look like if I did this and then also giving people other ideas and resources for exploring What is my passion? What do I want to do? So I love that you brought some of those things out to really look and see What is my passion? What  am I drawn to? And tailoring what we do to earn money, specifically to that.

Is there any final advice that you would give any teens who are trying to figure out what they want to do and who are thinking that maybe something in the medical field would be where they want to go?

Angie: I would just say stay curious. Like, I think being able to know that as a teen and in your early 20s, it’s about making mistakes and making choices and changing your mind. And I don’t think we’ve been given permission about that for many generations. It’s always go to college and get a job and you know, because we’re coming from  generations that they didn’t have those luxuries. And so that became something that was really determined and taught. And it’s not bad. I think college and education, like, again, I love learning. So if I ever got stuck in life, it was time to go back and learn again. So, so that’s a passion for me.

It is being able to go give  the permission to really figure out who you are and follow that lead. And, and it’s, if they want to go into the medical field, like the cool part is, is there’s all kinds of technical training to be a CNA or a medical assistant or a dental hygienist, or something that are fairly simple and not hard careers to get in.

And you could get in and get the training and go, okay, that really isn’t for me. You know, like being able to realize. You know, try something, do job shadows. There’s a lot of things, do phlebotomy. Those are the things that only take, you know, I think six to eight weeks certification. You can get in, know are you okay with interacting with people or would you rather work in the lab that way you’re still helping people, but you don’t have to do so much customer service.

So I think being able to just really be curious and really understand who you are and allow those two things to to kind of merge and guide you can be a really powerful impact on your career. 

Damia: Thank you so much. That is great advice.

And again, I thank you for coming on to the podcast to let me interview you and for sharing all of your wealth of knowledge that you’ve learned over your life.

Angie: Thank you so much for having me. All right. Thank you.