Kerri Reynolds, a case management nurse based out of Texas, discusses how to protect your mental health and how she found her calling to be a nurse through personal experiences.

Q: TRUE or FALSE “Nurses eat their young.” 

A: Not at all! I love teaching new nurses!!

Q: Any self care or mental health tips for new nurses? 

A: Balance life/work. Leave work at work. Everything happens for a reason!

Q: What would you say is the single biggest challenge nurses face today?

A: COVID.

Q: How did you choose your specialty? What drew you to it?

A: I went into nursing later in life. I worked in a factory for years to support my daughter as I was a single mother. My grandmother was getting older and in a nursing home and seeing the lack of good care, as a kid, I swore I would never let a family member go through that again. My grandfather, my hero, had lung cancer and near the end we had hospice at home and cared for him until he passed peacefully at home. My daughter has asthma and as a baby/toddler she was in and out of the hospital with asthma attacks. All this while working hard in a factory I realized I can’t continue to do that work for the rest of my life. My passion was for helping others, therefore I decided my best way to do this was to go to college and get my nursing degree. I was the first person in my family to get a college degree. I worked bedside for years and then went into case management and haven’t left. I love what I do and the great impact I make with patients and families. Thanks!!! "We can't help everyone, but everyone can help someone.”