I want to give you a little insight into who I am and how I started this BLOG Nurses Need Care Too!
I live in picturesque Central Pa with my husband and cat, who is not at all friendly. I’m talking about the cat, not my husband 😊. My grandkids call him the “Mean cat” as we used to have a “Nice cat” who recently died. Also, I am fortunate to have LOADS of grandchildren and family around who all get along, and we love hanging out together.
I have been a nurse for 37 years, starting out working on a pediatric unit in a rural Pa hospital. From there, I did a whole lot of other nursing as I many times worked 2 jobs at a time. My main title has been “school nurse” for 27 years.
I also went back to college to get my master’s degree to become a family nurse practitioner (CRNP). I worked as a certified school nurse (CSN) in a local district and, at the same time, a CRNP at an inner-city community clinic for a few years. Not surprisingly, I suffered burn-out and developed cancer at 40. So, I decided just to work the one job as a school nurse as it paid well and had great benefits. I belatedly realized that life is too short to work it away.
Fast forward to 2020, COVID hit, and I was working all 3 shifts at a local private inpatient pediatric facility. Once again, I was side-lined with chronic illness. This time, it was a rare autoimmune inflammatory disorder called Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR). I had to stop working as a nurse due to being immunocompromised from the medication to treat PMR and feeling poorly. After 6 months of muscle rigidity and pain, I felt that I had nursed myself back to health to a point where I could start to think about working again.
I realized that I could not be a dependable worker as I had good days and bad days due to the PMR and always a lot of morning stiffness. I had always loved to write and had done some journaling while recovering from cancer. In addition, I developed some educational health videos a few years ago for a wellness corporation. I decided to officially try my hand at writing and landed an ongoing gig for a nursing education publication. I also had started a Facebook group for Polymyalgia Rheumatica sufferers.
I gave blogging a try and liked it. So, I decided to start up a support and encouragement BLOG for nurses called Nurses Need Care Too.
Supporting nurses is a passion of mine as many of my family and friends are in the nursing or health field. I love and admire them all. Most of all, I know how discouraging and wearing it can be to work day after day, giving of yourself with very little in return. I want to help encourage my nurse friends and all of you out there who deserve accolades and a little “prop up” for what you do EVERY DAY! You are my HEROES.
I would be honored if you read my BLOG Nurses Need Care Too! I hope that I can make your day a little brighter.
Check back in a few days for uplifting and inspiration for NURSES WEEK! I can’t wait to celebrate with you and for you.
In sisterhood,
Donna