Today we’d like to introduce you to Alli Merrell.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Alli. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
When I was a little girl my mom was diagnosed with Primary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis. Her mobility declined rapidly and, being the oldest daughter, I gradually shifted into more of a caregiver role. As most children would, I did anything I could to help my mother through those challenging times. That’s when I started to consider healthcare as my ultimate professional goal. Also, throughout high school, I worked as a swim instructor and lifeguard and found that I really enjoyed learning the rescue techniques and first aid training.
When I graduated from nursing school it took me several years to find the right fit for my personality, interests and individual strengths. In ten years, I have worked in seven different nursing specialties. To be honest, up until recently, I had always considered that to be a weakness, a character flaw that pointed to a lack of dedication. However, my current role as a Multiple Sclerosis Nurse Educator has brought clarity to all of that motion. What I once viewed as impatience or lack of dedication, I now see as a positive progression toward purpose.
I never expected the kind of opportunities that come with a BSN. And my story is just one example. I’ve met so many wonderful colleagues, each on their own amazing nursing adventure. Nursing school offers only a glimpse of what’s possible because “NURSE” is a title with endless possibilities. I don’t even want to imagine what it would be like if I hadn’t fought for purposeful work. Nursing is the only job that allows you to have any job you want.
And that is the reason I created the RN Professions Podcast. I want listeners to know what is possible. I want them to know there is a right spot for their uniqueness. I want them to be curious, to feed their strengths, to hone in on what makes them special and share it with the world. Can you imagine going to a job you love every day? Can you imagine how it could dramatically change the patient experience if every nurse figured it out?
The podcast has given me opportunities to learn about and share specific nursing roles and responsibilities, nursing pathways, compensation, mentorship, innovation and a whole lot more. I’ve been able to have meaningful conversations with some truly amazing people. I also have a lot of fun sharing some personal and professional development tools to help nurses excel in their current roles. It’s been a great experience so far!
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
A friend of mine recently said, “Man, Alli. I like how you decide you want to do something and then you just do it.” I remember that comment vividly because I don’t often consider responding to life any other way. We have so much information and endless resources available to us nowadays that we really don’t have any excuse not to try. I also knew that even if I am not the best podcast host or content creator, I could still provide nurses and nursing students around the world with very valuable information. I hadn’t come across a platform that detailed a day in the life of varying nursing roles, and that’s really what I wanted to focus on. That’s what I knew was missing.
There have been a lot of things to figure out, but I have been able to find tutorials all over the internet for most of the technical stuff. I think the key to trying something new is just to ask questions. You really can’t be afraid of starting. It’s likely not going to ever be perfect, but you will definitely get better the more you work at it and the more questions you ask. I have found that most people are eager to give advice or share a tool or suggest a resource. And frankly, that’s one of the best parts about diving into unfamiliar territory- you will meet some incredible people.
We’d love to hear more about your work.
I had no idea that I could become a Multiple Sclerosis Nurse Educator and help patients with there lifelong therapies. I didn’t learn about this job in nursing school. When I joined the company I work for now, I was introduced to an entire new world of healthcare. It is such a unique role. I found myself trying to explain my job quite often and realized there are so many nursing students and working nurses that have no idea what opportunities are available to them. Being an avid podcast listener myself, I knew the podcast platform would be a great way to reach out to busy students and professionals.
I created RN Professions to be pretty straightforward. I interview nurses and ask similar questions across the board so that listeners can get a good picture of what the actual day-to-day and lifestyle of each particular job is. There are some really great podcasts for learning more about nursing skills, passing exams, department-specific topics, research, pharmacology, law, etc., but there didn’t seem to be anything that specifically focused on the variety within the nursing field itself. Nursing has been both the worst job and the perfect job for me. I just had to find the right fit. My mission with RN Professions is to do the same for listeners. We really can have any job we want.
For good reason, society often focuses more on the problems rather than the opportunities that exist, because the problems need to be solved. However, we’d probably also benefit from looking for and recognizing the opportunities that women are better positioned to capitalize on. Have you discovered such opportunities?
The nursing industry is still about 90% women, but as the healthcare industry continues to face new challenges that tide is turning. Men and women are both uniquely gifted to meet the needs of our patients, and for the most part, we work well together. In this industry leadership roles are given to the nurses who have the most experience or training in a particular area. Professional nursing is truly a community of camaraderie and teamwork. We are all in it to help people.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.RNProfessions.com
- Email: alli@RNProfessions.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rnprofessions/
- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/RNProfessions
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/company/rn-professions/
Image Credit:
Benjamin Merrell, Ainsley Merrell
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