Part-Time Dancer, Full-Time Nurse

This nurse shares how she finds balance between freelance dancing and full-time remote nursing

Welcome to Nurse Ascent, a twice-weekly newsletter created by nurses for nurses. This week, one nurse shares how her freelance dance career helps her find balance with her full-time remote nursing job. We also talk about the largest measles outbreak in 20 years, Alex Pretti's death ruled to be a homicide, and information on the rate Nipah virus outbreak in India.

But first, who else feels the pressure of that final countdown?

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Nurse Spotlight: Jessica Pierce RN, BSN

What I do for work

Right now I work full-time remotely as a nurse health advocate for medicare patients. For me, my career has been a slow fade from bedside care to a supporting advocate role. Working in healthcare has been complicated for me, although for pretty much my entire life, I’ve always felt I wanted to be a nurse. I first started working as new grad nurse in biggest ER in my city. A couple years later, I felt like I just got my feet under me but then the COVID pandemic began, I burnt out very quickly and became disillusioned with the state of healthcare leadership.

How I got here

I’ve changed jobs 6 or 7 times since I started over 7 years ago. I went from the ER to an out-patient imagining clinic, worked as a rural paramedic before I was in a car accident in 2022 that took me out of bedside for a while. From there I worked for a local non-profit as a non-medical case manager which prepared me very well for my current job working as a remote advocate. Over the years I’ve also worked as a camp nurse during the summer and before my previous job, I worked per diem nursing in mental health for psychiatric crisis support. I’ve worked all over the place and am finally very happy to be in a role where I can work on my own terms.

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Headlines in Healthcare

Largest measles outbreak since disease eliminated

The ​measles outbreak in South Carolina has reached nearly 800 cases​, officially making it the largest outbreak in the United States since the disease was declared eliminated nearly 20 years ago. The state health department has shared that at least 18 people have been hospitalized with complications related to measles.

Medical examiner rules Alex Pretti's death a homicide

​The Hennepin County Medical Examiner has ruled the death of ICU nurse Alex Pretti a homicide​, citing "multiple gunshot wounds" as the cause according to USA Today. Pretti was fatally shot on January 24 by Department of Homeland Security agents deployed to Minnesota. Renee Good, also fatally shot by DHS in Minneapolis on January 7th, has been ruled a homicide as well.

Deadly Nipah outbreak confirmed in eastern India

Last week, the ​World Health Organization reported two cases of the rare Nipah virus​ in the eastern Indian state of West Bengal. The virus, named after the village in Malaysia where the first known patient lived, is part of the same family of viruses as measles. While it is not as infectious as measles, it is significantly more deadly with death rates ranging anywhere between 40% and 75% among all cases. So far experts have confirmed at least two cases among health care workers, deployed outbreak response team, and say it is very unlikely it will lead to a global emergency.

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More on Jessica

A day in my life

I’ve recently bumped up from part-time to full-time working remotely and I am currently finding my flow in that. Typically, I get up, make sure the dog and cat have food and water and let outside. I try to front load my day with work and start my calls and patient research early on. My personal style as a patient advocate is resourcing based right now. I’ll spend the day set up in our spare bedroom or with a small desk on the couch and work until 5 or 5:30 after my husband gets home from work. Afterwards we have dinner and watch our shows to end the day and unwind.

My self-care routine (or what I do for fun, or to relax)

I have a second Bachelor’s degree in dance and has stayed a hobby for me. Tulsa is full of small community theaters companies for dance. At one of the theaters I’m a company member for, I was recently asked to guest choreograph for one of their shows in May. On top of that I’ve been teaching a beginners class for people at my church. Right now, dance has been a passion project on the side that helps me feel in a good balance with nursing. Another routine I’m enjoying is on Wednesdays when I take the morning off to go to a yoga class.

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Share your story & be entered to win

As part of our effort to spotlight nurses, we’d love to feature you in an upcoming issue of Nurse Ascent! Share your story by filling out our quick interview form, and you’ll be entered into a raffle to win a $50 gift card.

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Meet the author:
​Katie Scoggins
(RN, BSN & Health Writer)

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