Why My Nursing Career Keeps Evolving (And Why I’m Pitching Myself to Nursing Schools)

Your career isn’t supposed to stay the same forever

If you’ve been following my journey for a while, you know that my business (and honestly my nursing career) has evolved a lot over the past few years. What I’m doing now looks very different from where I started, and if I’m being honest, I have a feeling it’s going to keep changing as I grow.

And that’s actually what I want to talk about in this post.

Because I think one of the biggest mistakes we make as nurses, and even as entrepreneurs, is believing that we’re supposed to pick one path and stay there forever.

We think once we choose a specialty, a role, or a direction, that’s it.
That’s who we are now.

But the truth is… we don’t stay the same.

Our interests change.
Our confidence changes.
Our skills grow.
Our priorities shift.
Our life circumstances change.

And if you allow your career or your business to grow with you instead of forcing it to stay the same, that’s usually where the real magic happens.

Right now, my business is evolving again, and this next step feels really aligned… but also a little uncomfortable.

And honestly, that’s usually how I know I’m going in the right direction.

Why I’m starting to pitch my services to nursing schools

I’ve decided that 2026 is going to be the year I really start pitching my services to nursing schools.

My goal is to build partnerships with nursing programs where I can provide career readiness workshops for nursing students, helping them prepare for the part of nursing school that no one really teaches you… getting your first job.

Because if you listen to my podcast or follow my content, you already know this is something I care deeply about.

We spend so much time in nursing school learning how to pass exams, how to care for patients, and how to survive clinical.

But we don’t spend much time learning how to actually navigate the job market.

We’re not taught:

• How to stand out as a new grad nurse

• How to write a resume that actually gets interviews

• How to prepare for nurse residency hiring

• How to choose the right first job

• How to talk to recruiters

• How to feel confident walking into an interview

And then graduation comes… and suddenly you’re expected to figure all of that out on your own.

That’s exactly where I feel like I can help the most.

And what’s funny is, if you told me a few years ago that I would be pitching workshops to nursing schools, speaking to students, and working with faculty… I probably would have laughed.

Because for the longest time, I used to say I would never be a clinical instructor.

Never.

And then life did what life always does…

It surprised me.

The role I never thought I would love: Becoming a clinical instructor

One of the biggest reasons I feel pulled toward working with nursing schools right now is because of something I never expected to enjoy as much as I do… becoming a clinical instructor.

For years, I said I would never teach.

I don’t even know why I thought that, but I had this idea in my head that being a clinical instructor wasn’t for me. I pictured it as stressful, rigid, and not something I would enjoy.

Then in 2024, an opportunity came up for me to work as a clinical instructor… and I decided to try it.

Honestly, I thought it would just be something flexible I could do on the side.

But I was pleasantly surprised.

The pay was good.
The schedule was flexible.
Summers off. Holidays off.

When you have kids, that kind of schedule is huge.

And even if you don’t have kids, that kind of flexibility in nursing is pretty amazing.

As a clinical instructor, I teach both in the hospital and in the lab setting. Most lab days involve different groups of students rotating through stations. Usually there’s a lecture portion, followed by hands-on skills practice.

And the funny part is, as an adjunct faculty member, I don’t always know what I’m teaching until I show up.

So I’ve had to get very comfortable speaking in front of groups, thinking on my feet, and interacting with students in real time.

At first, that made me really nervous.

I remember standing in front of students thinking:

Who am I to be teaching this?
Do I even know enough?
What if I mess this up?

But over time, something shifted.

I realized… I actually love this.

I love talking to students.
I love answering questions.
I love explaining things in a way that makes sense.
I love helping people feel less overwhelmed.

And I especially love talking about career navigation, resumes, interviews, and the new grad nurse job market.

The more I did it, the more I thought…

Maybe this is actually one of my strengths.

Following your talents instead of chasing what sounds impressive

That realization was big for me.

For a long time, I thought success meant following the traditional nursing path.

Then I thought success meant building an online business.

And now I’m realizing success might actually look like combining everything I’ve done so far.

Bedside nursing.
Leadership.
Recruitment.
Teaching.
Coaching.
Speaking.
Content creation.

All of it.

When I look at my career as a whole, there’s a pattern.

The same themes keep coming up:

Teaching
Helping
Explaining
Coaching
Guiding nurses through career decisions

And it reminded me of something Reese Witherspoon once said.

She was giving career advice and asked someone,

“What are your talents?”

The girl didn’t know.

And Reese said something that stuck with me:

Don’t follow your dreams. Follow your talents.

Because your talents are clues.

They show you what comes naturally.
They show you what you’re good at.
They show you where you might be meant to go.

And when I look back at my own career, teaching, coaching, speaking, and helping nurses keeps coming up over and over again.

So now, instead of ignoring that pattern, I’m leaning into it.

That’s why pitching workshops to nursing schools feels so aligned.

Not because I planned it perfectly.

But because every step has slowly pointed me in this direction.

The next level always feels uncomfortable

Even though this feels aligned… it also scares me.

Actually, it scares me a lot.

Because putting yourself out there in a bigger way always feels different than staying in your comfort zone.

For the past few years, I’ve gotten comfortable posting online, recording podcast episodes, creating courses, and working with students one-on-one.

But reaching out to nursing schools… pitching myself… asking to come speak…

That feels like the next level.

And whenever you step into the next level, your brain starts saying:

Who do you think you are?
Why would they want you?
You’re not ready yet.
You need more experience.

And that’s imposter syndrome.

And nurses know imposter syndrome very well.

There’s always someone with more experience.
There’s always someone who knows more.
There’s always someone you feel like you have to prove yourself to.

So when you step into a space where you’re the one leading… it feels uncomfortable.

Even if you have the experience.

Even if you’re qualified.

Even if you know what you’re doing.

I’ve been a nurse for over a decade.

I’ve worked bedside.
Leadership.
Recruitment.
Hiring.
Coaching.

And I still catch myself thinking…

Am I qualified enough?

Self-doubt doesn’t go away when you level up.

Sometimes it gets louder.

Because growth feels uncomfortable.

Sometimes life nudges you in a direction

Another reason I’m leaning into this right now, even though it scares me, is because I keep feeling like I’m being nudged in this direction.

Call it manifestation.
Call it intuition.
Call it signs.
Call it God winks.
Call it a gut feeling.

But I really believe that sometimes life keeps pointing you toward something.

For me, teaching keeps coming up.

Speaking keeps coming up.

Working with students keeps coming up.

Helping new nurses navigate their careers keeps coming up.

Even becoming a clinical instructor… I didn’t plan that.

And now it feels like it’s leading me somewhere else.

Sometimes the things you’re meant to do don’t start as a big plan.

Sometimes they start as a small idea.

A random opportunity.

A feeling that says…

this might be something.

And the more you follow those nudges, the more your path makes sense.

If your career feels like it’s changing, that’s not a bad thing

I think a lot of nurses go through this.

You don’t hate nursing.

You didn’t choose the wrong career.

But something starts to shift.

Your interests change.
Your priorities change.
Your life changes.

And suddenly what used to fit… doesn’t fit the same anymore.

Sometimes that means changing specialties.

Sometimes it means teaching.

Sometimes it means leadership.

Sometimes it means starting a side hustle.

Sometimes it means building a business.

Sometimes it just means trying something new.

And that’s okay.

We are not meant to stay the same forever.

We are meant to evolve.

We are meant to grow.

We are meant to try things.

We are meant to change directions sometimes.

And sometimes the reason an idea keeps coming back…

is because it’s meant for you.

The things that scare you are often the next step

Pitching myself to nursing schools feels uncomfortable.

It feels like the next level.

It feels like I’m putting myself out there in a bigger way than I ever have before.

But it also feels aligned.

It feels like everything I’ve done in my nursing career (bedside, leadership, recruitment, teaching, coaching, content creation) has been building toward this.

Not because I planned it perfectly.

But because each step taught me something I needed for the next one.

So this year, I’m putting myself out there.

I’m reaching out to nursing schools.

I’m pitching workshops.

I’m seeing what doors open.

Not because I’m 100% confident.

Not because I feel totally ready.

But because I feel like this is the direction I’m supposed to go next.

And if your career feels like it’s changing right now…

If you feel pulled toward something new…

If you feel like there’s another level for you…

That doesn’t mean something is wrong.

It probably means you’re growing.

And growth almost always feels uncomfortable at first.

But it’s also where the magic happens.

As always — I have one hand for me, and the other for you. 🤍

Signing Off…

Caroline

PS. Want more on this topic? Listen to Life After Nursing School  Podcast  Ep 60