From Pet Care to Stroke Care

This nurse talks about her journey from a career in psychology, to pet care and finally to stroke nurse

Welcome to Nurse Ascent, a twice-weekly newsletter created by nurses for nurses. This week, one nurse tells the story how she found herself working as a stroke nurse after 13 years owning her own pet care business. We also discuss a breakthrough in an mRNA vaccine for pancreatic cancer as well as a new option for safe and reversible male contraceptive. Plus, the FDA plans to meet to decide if peptide injections need less restrictions.

But first....

Featured Jobs

Have you applied to a job through Nurse Ascent? Reply to let us know and you'll be entered to win a $50 gift card!

🩺

Executive Director of Nursing - Med/Surg, Mercy

Oklahoma City, OK

Tuition Reimbursement: Up to $2,000/year

Apply Now →

☤

Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA), National Health Care Associates

Utica, NY

$19.75 - $21.00/hour

Apply Now →

♡

RN - Virtual Nursing Operations, Piedmont Healthcare

Atlanta, GA

Apply Now →

💉

RN Supervisor - Clinical Nursing - Orthopedics (Full-time, Evenings), Mercy

Saint Louis, MO

Apply Now →

🩹

Family Nurse Practitioner (276013), ASK Consulting

San Antonio, TX

$70 - $74/hr

Apply Now →

🩸

Nursing Dean of Academic Affairs, Chamberlain University

Irwindale, CA

$130,171.61 - $181,034.70

Apply Now →

Looking for a new nursing job?

Hit reply and tell us what you’re looking for, and we’ll send you personalized opportunities just for you.

You can also browse additional jobs on CollabWORK.

Nurse Spotlight: Leila S. RN, BSN, SCRN

What I do for work

I work bedside in the hospital on a PCU floor as a neuro/stroke nurse. I’ve recently transferred from a comprehensive stroke hospital where I dealt with a more intense environment, managing lots of hemorrhages. Now on this new floor, although I still work with strokes, I feel can work more with the patients and I’m liking this environment a lot more.

How I got here

I first got my degree in psychology and I worked with kids with autism for a few years. Then I shifted towards working with animals and owned a pet care company for 13 years. I loved doing that but once I had kids the schedule wasn’t working as well as it used to. I knew I wanted some sort of change and had always thought about nursing school but not totally convinced it was for me. School was intense but I’m happy I went because I really do love what I do now. My dad had a stroke 7 years ago and I always felt drawn to this specialty of nursing because of how it ties into my personal life.

Headlines in Healthcare

Pancreatic Cancer mRNA Vaccine Shows Lasting Results

In a remarkable development, more than half of the participants who participated in a trial for a new pancreatic cancer treatment are still alive, six years after diagnosis. According to NBC News, less than 13% of people diagnosed with pancreatic cancer live for more than five years. This treatment was first given during a clinical trial in February 2020, months before mRNA vaccines would become popular for COVID. Scientists caution that more research is needed, but share that now that they better understand mechanisms seen in this study, they can work to see if it may be possible to use for more advanced cancer.

FDA to Meet on Peptide Restrictions

In July, the FDA will hold an advisory meeting to decide whether certain peptide injections should face less restrictions, and in turn, allowing compounding pharmacies to produce them. This comes after increasing popularity of the drugs after RFK Jr. backed them. Wellness communities have pitched these injections as a quick way to build muscle, heal injuries or appear younger, despite little research behind these claims.

Breakthrough in Safe & Reversible Male Contraceptive

Scientists at Cornell University recently made a breakthrough in developing a safe, reversible, non-hormonal male contraceptive, something that has had public interest increasing in recent years. Currently, male contraceptives include condoms and vasectomies, of which many men report being wary despite it being the only long-acting option for men. Vasectomies are technically reversible through subsequent surgery. According to Cornell Chronicle, this motivated scientists to find a solution that stops sperm production without affecting male libido and secondary sex characteristics.

More on Leila

A day in my life

Every day we start with a bedside report on all stroke patients which includes a joint neurological check as well as NIH later on our own. We ensure all the stroke protocol has been ordered (tests, MRI, meds like anti-platelets/anti-cholesterol, BS ACHS, VTE prophylaxis, PT/OT/SLP therapies. The first 24 hours are where we watch them the closest and there is a big emphasis on stroke education.

What I do for fun

I spend a lot of time with my dogs. We live between so many canyons, and I like to take them out every day I have off. I try to do fun things with the kids after they get off school. On Mondays, both my husband and I try to take Mondays off to do some sort of partial date day. During the week I love getting together with friends who also work an odd schedule.

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.

An image of author Katie Scoggins is pictured.

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

CollabWORK is a community-powered hiring platform

CollabWORK connects job-seekers to roles shared in trusted spaces—like nurse-led Facebook groups, Slack channels, and industry newsletters. Create your account or log in to discover other roles in nursing, healthcare, and beyond.