The past 2 Once a Nurse Shows have allowed me to do a bit of “What If?” thinking.
October 14th was an enlightening look into the world of Case Management (CM) with Deanna Cooper Gillingham, RN, CCM. She was a delightful expert of the subject because of her obvious passion for CM. I became very interested in CM, when my health deteriorated to the point that I knew I needed a desk job. I was especially interested after reaching a point when I was planning my own funeral and realized that I needed someone who could be an advocate for me and help navigate the crazy world of healthcare, while struggling to stay alive. I had no idea how to even reach out for help. I AM a nurse! How do civilians manage this maze?
I wish I had known about Deanna at that time. She shared what the job entails, what are the skills and capabilities needed to do the job. She affirmed my experience that when I DID look into doing this type of work, it seemed cloaked in secrecy. Who do you know and how willing are they to teach you? She on the other hand, is doing everything in her power to bring it out into the sunlight and welcome new nurses to the field. She has online training on how and what CM is all about and how to prepare yourself for a great new career for those who love complicated cases; relating to humans in their most vulnerable and needy point of life; and bring with them a history of problem solving, researching and educating these individuals in a supportive way. That COULD have been ME!! Is it you?
If you missed the show, listen to the Podcast:
https://www.voiceamerica.com/episode/117950/case-managers-guides-through-the-healthcare-maze
October 28th, I reciprocated the favor to Pat Iyer, MSN RN LNCC, who invited me onto her excellent Podcast, “Legal Nurse Podcast” to talk about Resolving Conflict on October 14th. Pat joined me on the 28th on Once a Nurse, to discuss being a successful Entrepreneur. Despite a huge mistake with her husband in their first venture into self-employment, she has been very successful as a Legal Nurse Consultant, with the Podcast, playing matchmaker and manager to Legal Nurses seeking Lawyers with interesting cases, and now training online and in books. One question I had was whether this takes a special “breed” of person, who is simply attracted to creating their own living, through their own wits, will and talent. She affirmed that was often correct. Pat speaks with knowledge, confidence and experience. I found the conversation SO interesting. Legal Nursing was something I also had considered at one time, when I heard they could charge hundreds of dollars/hour. I quickly learned that this must be earned to make up for the lost benefits of vacation, sick time, and overtime that most of us in traditional Hospital work, simply took for granted. I grew up in my father’s jewelry store and the idea of being totally responsible for seeking work, doing the work and billing for work previously done ALL at the same time freaked me out. I learned from Pat that if being an entrepreneur is truly in your blood, those things are a small price to pay for control of your own destiny!
Listen to the Podcast:
https://www.voiceamerica.com/episode/118194/nurse-entrepreneurship-how-it-is-done