The Beauty of Bedside Nursing

I became a Registered Nurse in 2011. As part of my capstone project at the end of nursing school, I was asked to write down my goals. At the time, one of those goals was to become a Nurse Practitioner or a Nursing Administrator.

But life took a few unexpected turns, as it so often does. My path did not follow a steep upward climb toward those original goals. Instead, my vision evolved as I entered the real world of nursing and patient care. While I kept those dreams quietly in the background, my heart never drifted far from the bedside.

During those years, I also faced the deeply personal journey of infertility before later welcoming triplets into our family. That experience reshaped my perspective in profound ways. It clarified what mattered most and showed me that I would always need a career path that allowed me to serve others while also being present for my own family.

I have had the privilege of gaining knowledge through many different nursing experiences over the years. Florence Nightingale has always been a hero and mentor to me, and I have tried to carry her principles into my own nursing care whenever I could. I have worked on step-down units, in recovery rooms, medical offices, and home care. I have cared for patients of all ages. In each of these settings, my teammates became like family and many became dear friends for life.

Every experience taught me something—not only about the patient, but also about their family, their circumstances, and the life waiting for them outside of my care. These experiences have shaped the way I care for my own family just as much, if not more, than any impact I could have made on the patients around me. Through nursing, I learned advocacy, time management, the stages of grief, and the art of anticipatory care rather than reactive care.

My greatest takeaway from this journey has been the ability to see and empathize with the whole picture of a patient’s experience—from admission to the hospital to the transition back into home and personal life. Goals and challenges look different at every stage. It is a true honor to care for patients and families during some of their most vulnerable moments. A trustworthy nurse is worth their weight in gold.

Because of these experiences, I was inspired to start my own Concierge & Private Duty Nursing LLC.

This lifelong journey of learning has become more meaningful and fruitful than I ever could have imagined when I first wrote down those goals nearly 15 years ago. My heart will always be at the bedside. I hope you have the chance to witness and capture that beauty, too.