Today, we're turning the spotlight on Emily Webster, an RN working on the Medical Specialties unit. She shares her passion for patient advocacy and what drew her to bedside nursing. She also shares some perspective for nursing students who are nervous about grades and the age-old stereotype of nurses eating their young. Read on for some indispensable advice on work-life separation, mental wellness, and the importance of patient advocacy!

1). What is your specialty and where are you based?  

I work at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, NH on the Medical Specialities unit. Medical Specialities deals primarily with acute on chronic medical issues such as end-stage renal disease, liver disease, congestive heart failure etc. We also frequently deal with IV drug use disorder and alcohol use disorder. We are also a Cystic Fibrosis specialty unit. 

2). How did you choose this specialty? What drew you to it? 

From deciding I wanted to be a nurse, I always knew that I wanted to work at the bedside with an adult population. I am passionate about my role as a bedside nurse particularly for the major component that advocacy has in this role.

The patients that I take care of are often having one of the hardest times of their life, whether it is a newly diagnosed chronic illness, a flare of a disease process they have been dealing with for many years, or a transition to end-of-life as a result of chronic illness.

I like to get to know my patients and their families in order to understand their goals of care and provide the most personalized care possible in what can be a stark impersonal environment. Of particular importance to me is when my patient is unable to speak for themselves or simply is unfamiliar with the healthcare environment and thus has a hard time advocating for themselves; it means a lot to me to be those patients advocates.

4). Any self-care or mental health tips for new nurses?  

When you finish your shift and walk out the hospital doors, take a deep breath in and out and leave the shift there. Get in your car, put on the radio, a podcast, a favorite playlist, call a friend or family member, something to shift your mood and your focus for the rest of the day.

Our jobs are tough and as long as you know when you left for the day, you did the best you could, that's all that matters. No, that doesn’t mean you got absolutely everything done and everything went perfectly, it just means you worked hard and did the best you could in each moment.

5). What’s one must-have that gets you through the tough days?  

My team and a good cup of coffee! In all seriousness, I don’t think I would get through the rough days without my other nurses, nursing assistants, unit secretaries, PT/OTs etc. We are all one big family on my floor and such a great team, so grateful for them.

6). Before working in your current role, what was your nursing career path?  

This is actually my first position as a Registered Nurse. I started here a few months after graduating with my BSN. Prior to that I had been a patient care assistant in college at Brigham and Women’s Hospital for two years. In high school, I was a transport volunteer at a local hospital where I fell in love with the personal aspect of healthcare by chatting with the patients as I brought them to tests and procedures.

12). True or False: “Nurses eat their young.”  

False, this used to be true and there are still a few bad apples out there but I have found that the culture of healthcare is shifting away from a hierarchical system between roles and years of experience to a much more team-oriented environment. In my two years as a nurse, I have felt that overwhelmingly, every nurse wants nothing more than to help each other out and pass on their wisdom to the next generation. 

13). Given the opportunity to speak to yourself on Day 1 of nursing school, what advice would  you give?

Oh gosh, on day 1 of nursing school there are so many things I would like to say to myself but I’ll try to be brief and pick the most important things, I want others to learn from me. I would say relax, work hard but be kind to yourself.

Pay attention in lecture, volunteer for everything in your clinical rotations to get the most experience, study a little bit each day, don’t cram, but mostly be kind to yourself. Nursing school is so tough, don’t be discouraged by academic struggles, it’s ok if you don’t get an A or even a B as long as you learn from your mistakes and do the best you can.