I haven’t written a blog post since last October… Shame on me! In reflecting on my life the last 6 months, it’s been a whirlwind of big events, bigger decisions, and just living life. So, I figured it was time to write an update, because it’s definitely more than I could post on Facebook.

So let me tell you…

Many of you know that I host a perioperative podcast called First Case, and I have been hosting and educating through that platform for 5 years. I totally enjoy hosting the podcast, and it has been a fun learning experience, for sure. It also connected me with so many experts in our field and taught me cool things about the operating room, patient safety, and patient care that I might not have learned otherwise.

But, as much as I love the podcast and the brand, last November I decided that it was time to move on – to “pass the mic” so to speak. I’m proud of the podcast, and I’m proud of the work that I did to grow the brand, but it was time to look for something new. I wasn’t sure what I was looking for exactly, I only knew that I still wanted to be in perioperative education and to use my platforms to share our perioperative life with the world.

One day in late November, a good friend of mine saw a job posting on LinkedIn that seemed absolutely perfect for me, and she sent me the link encouraging me to apply. The position was for a clinical content creator for a perioperative organization, it was fully remote, and they wanted someone who could write educational content for perioperative nurses. It was the perfect job, right?! So I applied…

And then began an almost two month process of one-on-one interviews, panel interviews, and a project submission to demonstrate my writing ability. Now, to be fair, the interview process went through the holidays, so I’m going to say that it took so long just because of the that. But, during that time, I spent hours working on the project that they asked me to submit, and I was checking my email obsessively waiting on any communication from them.

But then…

I got the email in January that they had decided to go with another candidate. How could they? I was the perfect candidate! Or so I thought, anyway. But they chose who they felt was the best candidate, so I continued my search.

While I had been interviewing with Company #1, I had continued to look for other posted positions, but there was nothing else out there that seemed to fit. Until I logged into LinkedIn the week after my rejection letter, and I saw a job posting from ColoWrap.

They were looking for a Clinical Educator!

My interest was piqued. I have known many of the people on the ColoWrap team for almost 5 years. I’ve connected with them at different conferences, interviewed them on the First Case podcast, and even tried to get their product used in my local hospital. So when I saw the posting, I decided I should apply.

This was another long process that involved me compulsively checking my email, but I didn’t have a project due this time. However, I did have SIX different interviews! I think I met with the entire team over the course of those interviews. (This experience has given me some new insights and observations about interviewing as a nurse on the corporate side versus the clinical side, but I’m saving that for another post)

Two weeks ago, I finally got the call I had been waiting for, and ColoWrap offered me the job! At the end of this month I will be passing the First Case mic over to a new host and starting my new position as a Clinical Educator for ColoWrap on April 6th. The next podcast season, Season 19, is already recorded however, so you’ll hear me hosting until the season ends in May 🙂

This is all really exciting!

And also terrifying. New jobs, being the new person, learning a new role – all of it can be overwhelming, no matter how experienced you are. But just like I tell new OR nurses all the time, we’re just going to take it one day at a time and eventually everything will come together.

Two Notes

I’m not leaving the clinical nursing world entirely. Working in the OR feeds my soul in a unique way, and I am planning to continue working in a PRN capacity as my schedule allows it.

Also, that project I submitted? It was good content! I wrote about preoperative anxiety and the various complementary care options available for reducing anxiety. I plan on sharing it here to give you some really helpful information!

Life has been “life-ing”

More has been going on these past few months with my kids and family, but I feel like the job hunt and interview process consumed me for the majority of that time.

I now have 2 college kids and a high schooler, and despite what people say, I’m busier now sometimes with them than I ever was when they were little! We were fortunate enough to have everyone together for the holidays and we spent 10 days in New York City spending time with extended family. It was a really nice break from “normal” life! (Although I received my “assignment” from Company #1 while I was on that trip…)

But! The time I have with everyone together is getting more infrequent, and I cherish the opportunity to have them all around. As the school year winds down and we move into summer, I’m acutely aware of that fact. This will be the last summer that all of my children are home together. My oldest graduates from college in December! So hopefully we can make good memories together before he’s off living life on his own.

Here’s a few photos from our NYC trip. It snowed and it was SOOO COLD!

One more thing…

Will you be at Expo? I’ll be there! I’ll be doing Nominating Committee things (like encouraging EVERYONE to VOTE!), I’ll be in the Expo Hall doing a couple of Nurse on the Street videos with First Case, and I’ll be in the ColoWrap booth! If you’re going to be there, I’d love to get to meet you, (seriously!) so please don’t be shy and come say hello 🙂

This has been a big update and there are many exciting life changes coming my way. But I’m looking forward to the change! It’s a smart move for me and for my family and I’m looking forward to embracing this new role and expanding my skills.

Until next time,

Melanie