I was an orthopedic bedside RN for the first two years of my career at a large East Coast hospital. I quickly found out that bedside care was not my calling and the Covid pandemic did not help matters! After I moved out West, I took some time off. When it was time to go back to work, I could not return to the bedside. I started considering leaving nursing, but I remembered why I became a RN later in life. To help people, plain and simple. I did a lot of soul searching, and took what I liked best about bedside nursing and started looking at non-traditional nursing roles. And the Universe introduced me to Nurse Coaching!
I joined the INCA family because the program was geared exclusively to nurses, and an amazing world opened up for me! I found my calling, and I do not say that lightly! The Foundations course gave me the skills to help clients identify and reach their health and life goals, and the Practicum confirmed that I had found my right path in nursing. I loved coaching my clients during Practicum, even though I was very apprehensive at the beginning.
I now can see a very rewarding future for me in nursing, and I have acquired a skill set that will allow me to be a Nurse Coach for as long as I want to keep working. I also now have the opportunity to start my own practice, and craft a business that suits my natural skills and my passion to help people help themselves. And becoming a Nurse Coach has changed me personally - I listen better, I have more patience, I practice positivity with greater intent and I am addressing my own health goals. It's true - the INCA program will change you! And you will meet an amazing community of like-minded RNs to boot!
Thank you, INCA, Lisa, Karen, Ron and all the other dedicated instructors for a life-changing program that is putting Nurse Coaching squarely on the map of our healthcare system. There are still far too many healthcare providers and RNs who do not know what a Nurse Coach does, and I intend to lend my voice and skills to change that dynamic!
—
Karen D., BA, BSN at Orthopedics, Nurse Coaching