Today we interview a veteran nurse practitioner with a general surgery group who shares her insights & perspectives from her successful career to help our readers!
Q. Becky, thanks for doing this! What made you think of moving out of the traditional RN career?
I have always wanted to be a RN – my dad had a lot to do with that. He could connect to anyone easily and was generous almost to a fault. One day while riding in the car with him as a child, we came up on a motorcycle crash. The unfortunate driver was lying in the middle of the road with people standing around him looking worried but clueless. My dad pulled the car over, grabbed a shirt out of the trunk & sat on the ground with the driver, shirt under his head. My dad was calm and seemed to know exactly what needed to be done until more help arrived. I think that was the moment I knew I wanted to be a nurse.
I initially started as a medical assistant in a family practice clinic and also worked on the side in acute care. I wanted to learn more and be responsible for more, so I went back to school and graduated with an Associate degree as an RN in 2002. Then I first started my RN career as a bedside ICU nurse at a hospital until 2006 when a nurse educator position opened in the ICU. I had just completed a bachelor’s in nursing by that time and was applying to nurse practitioner programs. I was accepted to the University of Nebraska Master’s in Nursing program and then got certified as an Acute Adult Nurse Practitioner and a Critical Care Nurse Specialist. I was then accepted into a well-known surgical group here in 2010 as a surgical nurse practitioner. I had the prior advantage of working with the group’s surgeons in ICU and miracle of miracles – I got the job !!!
How nervous were you on Day one as Surgery Nurse Practitioner? How did things evolve for you in your NP role ?
I admit to feeling nervous on my first day but this eased with spending time orienting with surgeons and guidance from other NPs & PAs. With time, the surgical group has had immense growth with adding several outreach & satellite clinics and new staff & services. This was great for our patients but also meant we had to keep evolving, improve efficiency & stay up to date with changes that kept us on our toes and pushed me to keep learning. For 14 years I worked in the hospital – managing inpatients, taking consults, admitting and discharging as well as being available to the floor nurses for any questions or issues, it has been a rewarding journey & experience.
In 2024, our group secured a contract with an out-of-town health system to provide surgical services wherein an APP would staff the clinic with a surgeon twice a week. I was excited about the new role with new responsibilities & need for new managerial skills. Looking back, I believe I had the necessary education & experience and also felt it was a good time to ‘slow down’ while still caring for patients. I was more excited than nervous and did a lot of reading for sure! Many of the patients I saw were referrals from other providers and I did minor office procedures. I was looking forward to integrating myself into the community and purchasing a home in the area but unfortunately, life doesn’t always go the way we plan. New health issues forced me to give up this new position. I have since returned to my previous position, but I do a hybrid role with rounding on hospital patients in the mornings and seeing clinic patients in the afternoon.
What was most challenging in your RN to CNP transition? What was most rewarding?
The most challenging thing about being a new NP is realizing how much you really don’t know and that managing someone’s life is suddenly your responsibility. This can be an overwhelming emotion. Thankfully I have had the backup I needed at my surgical group practice job – there was always another APP or surgeon that I could talk to and get advice from. I am blessed to have learned so much on my NP journey from my coworkers & patients. Every experience – even bad ones – provided me with learning and growth!
Any advice for nurses considering the RN to NP career pathway?
My advice for those considering nursing would be to obtain a bachelor’s degree if you have any future consideration for NP, CRNA, CNM, CNS, nurse educator or nurse manager roles. If you are unsure what kind of NP work might interest you, I would recommend going the family practice route to keep options open. I ultimately went back for a post-master’s certificate in family practice as I felt limited by only acute adult and critical care certifications.
In addition to working full-time with a surgical group, I also worked “PRN” basis at our local ED and our Hospitalist group for a while. I learned so much in both of those positions which I believe only enhanced the care I provide. I believe strongly in education & stretching yourself to become a better healthcare provider. It is too easy to become stagnant and suddenly your clinical skills might become “this is the way we’ve always done it” which is detrimental to patients.
Looking back, has it all been worth it?
While this journey has had it’s share of anxiety & lows, it also came with new friends & colleagues who became family with a lot of learning, career satisfaction, laughing & joy along the way. I have no regrets in following this career path – being a nurse has been my identity for a long time. Even when I am no longer working as a Nurse Practitioner, I will never stop being a nurse.
Anything you claim bragging rights on?
When I was a nurse educator in ICU, I helped develop & implement hypothermia treatment protocol after cardiac death, policy regarding family presence at bedside during CODE BLUE and also wrote a chapter in a book put together by Tom Johnson for residents. I wrote an article for SD medicine about a case study on the first hypothermia patient. I also help develop and implement an insulin algorithm for our group.
Wow that’s awesome! If not healthcare, what profession would you be in?
I would have been a baker and owned a bakery!
Any fun hobbies & side-gigs?
Reading, baking & cooking.
If you had to choose one superpower, what would it be?
Mind-Control !
Are you a Coffee person or a Tea person?
I enjoy coffee and tea (not green tea though) but do lean more towards coffee
Thanks Becky, this has been a pleasure, we wish you the best for the future with everything!
