LOVE DESPITE THE FOG

Nursing is on fire! What does that mean? Well it depends on your perspective I guess. There is no better time to enter the nursing profession than right now! There is such a need for nurses, especially in critical care areas. I think about it from the thought of a supply and demand. In business, if there is a high demand for a product or service and a low supply then essentially you can charge more. We have seen this during the pandemic with travel/agency nurses, right. All I am saying is that nurses have been underpaid for much too long and it is time to leverage our skills and knowledge for what we are worth! Especially for us nurses with advanced degrees!

I know nursing is not for the faint of heart, however what we do is truly heart work. I know the struggles of nurses because I lived it for many years. I worked in various Emergency Departments in both Canada and here in the US. I have worked in busy level 1 trauma centers with limited staffing and resources, sometimes having up to 15 patients. Do we need to make positive changes, absolutely. We need to come together as a profession and join forces to truly advocate for better working conditions. We need nurses to increase awareness and influence health policy such as the recent National Nurses March in Washington, DC. Nurses truly can make an impact and we are the pulse of every hospital. If I had a choice to do it all again, would I do it again, absolutely!

Despite the hardships, there is nothing that I loved more than being there on the front lines. Whether it was waiting for the helicopter to land with that critical patient, rushing a patient having a STEMI to the Cath Lab or making a child laugh to reduce their anxiety. There is no other profession, like the nursing profession. We can meet a patient and within a few minutes learning intimate details about their life, loved ones, fears or aspirations. Within a few minutes your actions as a nurse can significantly impact the quality of life or save their lives.

Nursing has been in a state of flux for a long time, with many challenges, even way before Covid hit. What is my point? If you truly love what you do, it will not feel like work. If you no longer love the space your in, then it is time to switch and do something that brings you peace, joy and fulfills your heart! There has been a lot of fog around nursing lately, but I still love it despite the fog!

My mission is to empower nurses, especially New Graduate Nurses to follow their heart and follow their dreams. I am a mentor, educator and coach. I am here to guide nurses through their career path and journey. I want fill them with so much positivity that their cup is overflowing! There are no limits and no boundaries. The opportunities are there, you just have to reach out for them! ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE, YOU JUST HAVE TO BELIEVE!

FARAH LAURENT, MSN, RN, CEN, CPEN, TCRN, NPD-BC, NEA-BC, CPXP

Founder of International Nurse Coach