From the Navy to NP
From Navy surgical tech, to pandemic travel nurse to home-health care.
Welcome to Nurse Ascent, a twice-weekly newsletter created by nurses for nurses. This week, one nurse tells of her journey from working in the medical field in the navy, then becoming a floor nurse turned pandemic travel nurse before finally landing at home-health care where she found a better pace of work for her.
Featured Jobs
Have you applied to a job through Nurse Ascent? Forward us a copy or screenshot of your completed application and you'll be entered to win a $50 gift card!
|
|
☤
Clinical Nurse Partner (CNA)
Remote
$21.00 - $31.50/hour
Apply Now →
|
|
♡
Assistant Director of Nursing CVOR (RN), MedStar Washington Hospital Center
Washington, DC
$102,606.00 - $196,996.00
Apply Now →
|
💉
Registered Nurse - Behavioral Health Mercy South, Mercy
Saint Louis, MO
Education assistance offered
Apply Now →
|
|
🩹
Assistant Director of Nursing, Kace Premier Medical Talent
Woodbridge, VA
$92,000 - $100,000
Apply Now →
|
|
🩸
Nursing Professional Development Specialist - Cardiovascular ICU, MedStar Union Memorial Hospital
Baltimore, MD
$89,065 - $162,801
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: Kylie D. MSN, RN
What I do for work
I work as a nurse for a home health company where I provide in-home care to patients. A lot of the care I provide is wound care, disease education (especially on heart failure), and general overall health support. We found that a lot of patients kept getting readmitted to the hospital because they don’t know enough about their disease to manage it. When we go into their home, we can see more of what’s happening and how to help them manage their disease process. This job has been very autonomous where I get to make the decisions and update the provider on the back end.
How I got here
I started out as a surgical tech in the Navy and I got a lot of my medical background working in surgery. When I got out of the Navy, I used my GI bill to go to school and get my BSN. When I graduated, I was already working at a hospital as a surgical tech in the OR and this helped me get into the RN new grad program on the floor since I was already established at the hospital. I worked there 2 years before a couple years of travel nursing. Travel nursing was one of the most difficult things I’ve done both professionally and emotionally. I often found myself in situations where I was the most senior nurse in a hospital with just over 2 years experience as an RN. During one contract, I worked on a neurologic PCU floor where they would regularly call me down to the ER to run a code while actively having to care for my 6 patients on the floor. This is where I learned how important nursing unions are. It was definitely a challenging time but it made me a stronger nurse and an even stronger patient advocate.
Headlines in Healthcare
988 Hotlines Helps Drop Youth Suicide Rate by 11%
Recent studies found that there were far fewer deaths by suicide among people in the US ages 15-34 since the launch of the 988 hotline, the national suicide and crisis hotline. In 2022, when the hotline launched, they projected 11% higher rates of suicide (equivalent to 4,372 people), indicating stronger than imagined impact. According to PBS News, researchers note a pattern that states with higher 988 call volume had larger declines in suicide rate.
FDA to Fast-Track Research of Psychedelics
An executive order was made for the FDA to speeding up its research and review for three experimental psychedelic treatments that would target mental health conditions such as depression and PTSD. This would allocate $50 million to support state-level psychedelic research. According to Healthline, one of the treatments involves the use of ibogaine therapy, despite limited research and serious questions about its safety profile.
FDA Approves Gene Therapy for Hearing Loss
The FDA approved the first gene therapy to restore hearing for people who were born deaf due to a genetic disease affecting 50 newborns in the US each year. This decision was based on results from the treatment of 20 patients born with a defective version of a gene known as OTOF, which is necessary to transmit sound from the ears to the brain. NPR News shared this landmark therapy comes from Regeneron Pharmaceuticals who have plans to offer it for free in the US within the upcoming weeks.
More on Kylie
A day in my life
I usually schedule my first client around 9am. I stop to get my coffee on the drive to go see my first patient. I usually spend 30-60 minutes working with them, and after our visit, I try to get my charting done right afterwards so it doesn’t pile up. Then I’m off to commute to my next patient to do the same thing. I usually have 4-6 patients per day which is up to me to manage. I’m usually home by 2pm where I eat lunch and finish my charting on my couch before dinner. It’s a very calm day and I have a lot of regular patients that I see on an ongoing basis, so I’m able to have meaningful interactions with them. This job does involve a lot of driving, but I use that time to listen to a lot of audio books.
What I do for fun
I love to read, not just audiobooks on my drives, but physically reading books too. I also love playing cozy games on my Nintendo Switch at home. In a month from now I graduate from NP school just before I have a baby in June where I’ll take 6 months off and be totally disconnected from work to really soak up more this next chapter of life.
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.
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.
Find us online, on social + listen to our media appearances
CollabWORK
300 E 57th St 33rd Floor
New York, NY 10022
​
​Unsubscribe · Preferences​
​