Hello, I’m Sarah, and it’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance. Thank you for joining me on my inaugural blog post!
Embarking on this blogging adventure feels like setting sail in the vast ocean of writing. I have a multitude of topics I’m eager to discuss, and I yearn for a creative outlet to share my passions: motherhood, my experiences as an RN, preventive healthcare, infants, child safety, my love for yoga, and anything else related to healthcare. It’s not a narrow niche, but for now, I’ll let my heart guide my writing.
My First Love: Journalism
Back in the day at Chico State, I pursued a major in Journalism and blossomed as a budding writer with a weekly column in our student newspaper, The Orion. However, shortly after graduating, I realized that newspaper writing wasn’t my calling. I made a complete shift in plans and entered the field of medical device sales.
For nine exhilarating years, I witnessed various surgeries and tirelessly marketed medical equipment to operating rooms along the West Coast. Weekly travel became routine, and during that period, I probably spent the equivalent of several years living out of hotel rooms.
Over time, this grueling lifestyle left me thoroughly burned out and desperate for change. Unfortunately, my resume pigeonholed me as a salesperson, limiting my options.
Christmas circa 2016, Roseville, CA. RN, Mom.
From Corporate Sales Exec to BSN Student
A longing for greater clinical medical knowledge and the desire to be a better human lead me to go back to college and earn my Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN). To say this was a challenge is an understatement. It was the hardest thing I have ever had to do in my entire life!
Leaving a high-paying job to go back to school for three years to come out with a lower-paying job is not the most financially wise choice. However, it did make me a lot happier in the long run. Following my passion for healthcare has been one of the greatest life changes I have ever made.
This was taken during my pediatric rotation at Kaiser West Los Angeles. I was such a newbie nurse!
I Began My New Career as a Registered Nurse
Shortly after graduation, I joined the RN residency program at UCLA Medical Center, specializing in the Neuroscience and Stroke unit. A few years later, I obtained certification as a Stroke Certified Registered Nurse and began mentoring other new graduates in my unit.
In 2015, I completed the Yoga Works Urban Zen Practitioner Program at UCLA. This program aimed to help nurses provide holistic care by integrating Eastern and Western approaches. I delved deeper into some of my favorite things: yoga, in-bed yoga movements, guided meditation, essential oils, and Reiki. It was an incredible learning experience that fundamentally transformed the way I deliver care to my patients.
From Neuro/Trauma to ER Nurse
In early 2017, I was accepted into an RN training program in the Emergency Room. It’s an intense, challenging, and exhausting environment, and I absolutely love it! It’s certainly not for the faint of heart. My skills have been pushed to the limit, and I can confidently say that I excel at difficult IV starts. That’s what happens when you initiate five or more IVs in a single day!
Being a Nurse Means Constant Learning
I dabbled in the medspa industry for about eight months as a side gig because I thought it was a career I was interested in. I became certified to use various lasers (IPL, hair removal) and also got certified to give injectables (Botox, Juvederm, etc..). It was fun for a while, but I ultimately decided to stay full-time at the hospital because I am way more passionate about the clinical side of nursing.
There were “perks” to being in the Medspa industry that I liked, like free injectables and free skincare products. Eventually, though, I realized that wasn’t a good enough reason to leave the hospital, and I didn’t love the work.
Nursing school helped me foster this passion and gave me a solid foundation for understanding health and the human body. I do my best to stay up to date on current healthcare and nutritional studies, and I try to be a good educational resource for my patients and family.
The stress of my first career lead me to search for ways to better care for myself. I started practicing yoga and meditation regularly, and it has remained a happy habit for over a decade. Now I incorporate it into my daily life and don’t know where I would be without it. There are a lot of things I practice at home to keep myself and my family healthy that I am excited to share on this blog.
Newest Job Title: RN Mom
On Halloween morning in 2015, my husband and I welcomed our daughter, Zoe, into the world. She is a spunky, sweet, and smart little lady who has changed our lives for the better. I apologize in advance for the ridiculous amount of baby photos that I am sure I will post in the future.
Zoe made her arrival seven weeks early due to a very rare and dangerous condition I got when I was 33 weeks pregnant called a placental abruption. In short, the placenta (lifeline from mom to baby) that was giving Zoe blood, oxygen, and nutrients suddenly disconnected from my uterus. This caused me to hemorrhage internally instead of delivering blood to where it should have been going- to Zoe!
Luckily right as it was happening, I was feeling terrible, and my husband had taken me to the hospital to get checked out. I was lucky to be there in the nick of time to have an emergency c-section. My doctors informed me that babies don’t usually survive placental abruptions, and we are forever grateful.
Zoe is our miracle baby, and we thank our lucky stars for her every single day. There is no better gift than the gift of a healthy baby!
Our very early days as new parents.
I have a few goals in this writing journey: explore the awesomeness and insanity of motherhood while trying to balance a career as a nurse, nurture a happy marriage, foster friendships, and continue to learn and share healthcare information—basically, all the lifestyle things I love.
Additional Recommended Reading:
- 8 Jobs For Nurses Who Don’t Want to Be Nurses Anyore
- 8 Things I Wish I Knew Before I Became A Nurse
- Is Nursing A Good Career For Moms?
- Simple Stress Management For Nurses
- Why I Quit My Corporate Sales Career To Become A Nurse
