Case Management

Mentor moment: A nurse is more than just a nurse

Case Management Weekly, February 17, 2010

The following article is adapted from HCPro’s resource for hospital case managers—www.CaseManagementMentor.com—a free blog dedicated to connecting hospital case managers to industry pacesetters, peers, and best practices.

By Kimberly Richert, RN, CCDS

I recently read two articles, the first about the shortage of nurses, and the second about a shortage of nursing jobs. These articles made me think about my present job in clinical documentation improvement, and how I ended up here. This is the best job I have ever had, and I do have to thank god everyday for it.

Looking back to when I started my nursing career, I never knew then that there were so many opportunities in the nursing field. I never knew this is where I would be after 20 years of nursing. I do remember thinking that I would never need to go to school again. Wow, was I wrong.

Through nursing school, you are taught hands-on patient care, from basics such as giving a bed bath and caring for the patient to the critical thinking necessary to help solve healthcare problems as they emerge. All this learning affords new nurses a set of skills upon which to build.

You begin in an area that will hire a brand new nurse. As you know, not all areas of a hospital will hire you without experience. So at the beginning of your career, you take what you can get. After you have some experience, you are able to move into those areas that really interest you. You go into a specialty that really keeps your job fun and interesting. You fit into a group of people with whom you love to work. You form friendships that last a lifetime. This is the best part of life. Your nursing career has given you a way to make it through this crazy world.

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