This Nurse Traded Biotech For Labor & Delivery

After earning two science degrees and starting a career in biotech, Di Pham changed course and found her place caring for high-risk mothers and babies.

Welcome to Nurse Ascent, a twice-weekly newsletter created by nurses for nurses. This week, labor and delivery nurse Di Pham shares how she went from studying biochemistry and working in biotech to caring for high-risk mothers and babies. We also look at projections of a national nursing shortfall exceeding 250,000 by 2028, severe nursing shortages across VA hospitals, and why ambient AI may require hospitals to rethink how they measure documentation success. Plus, explore nursing jobs tailored to your location.

But first....

AI Training Jobs

A few weeks ago, we asked whether you’d be interested in paid opportunities using your healthcare expertise to help train AI models. Many of you said yes, so we’re experimenting with sharing more opportunities like this alongside our curated nursing jobs.

A company is currently looking for healthcare and clinical experts to evaluate AI-generated work. The below roles can be completed on your own schedule and pays $55 to $110 per hour.

Let us know if you apply, and reply to this email if you’d like to see more opportunities like this in Nurse Ascent.

Featured Jobs

Not seeing jobs in your area? Reply to this email with your location to update your profile and get tailored openings.

🩺

Family Medicine Nurse Practitioner (NP) - Hot Springs, SD, AMN Healthcare

Hot Springs, SD

$280,000 - $300,000/year

Apply Now →

☤

Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (NP) - Cardiac ICU - Nashville, TN, AMN Healthcare

Nashville, TN

$121,000 - $185,000/year

Apply Now →

♡

Orthopedic Nurse Practitioner (NP), AMN Healthcare

Camp Hill, PA

$110,000 - $150,000/year

Apply Now →

Explore more jobs

Search hundreds of nursing roles on CollabWORK.

Browse all nursing opportunities →

Nurse Spotlight: Di Pham RN, BSN

From our spotlight archives: After earning degrees in biochemistry and biomedical science, Di Pham tried biotech but knew it wasn't the right fit. An accelerated nursing program ultimately led her to a career caring for high-risk mothers and babies in labor and delivery. Read the full spotlight →

Headlines in Healthcare

Ambient AI renders nursing documentation latency obsolete

As ambient AI technology reshapes nursing workflows, Cheristi Cognetta-Rieke, DNP, RN, of Mayo Clinic, argues health systems must rethink how they evaluate technology success. According to Becker’s Hospital Review, traditional benchmarks—like documentation latency—no longer capture the true impact of ambient tools on clinical care. Leaders must move beyond simple adoption rates and update evaluation methods to measure actual outcomes for patients and care teams.

Addressing the national registered nurse shortage

Nurses face increasing pressure as health systems struggle with an 8.6% national vacancy rate, according to Becker's Hospital Review. The Health Resources and Services Administration projects a shortfall of over 250,000 nurses by 2028. Experts argue that this structural deficit requires new academic partnerships rather than traditional recruiting methods to stabilize the workforce.

Severe nursing shortages persist across VA hospitals

Nurses face increased strain as 82% of VA medical centers report severe shortages of practical nurses, according to a recent Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General report. The data further indicates that 80% of these facilities also struggle with severe gaps in psychology staffing. These ongoing vacancy challenges highlight critical operational pressures that threaten care delivery within the VA health system.

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.

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.