| Q: Why did you decide to go into nursing?
I had an interest in science and medicine and wanted to do something
that would include interaction with people, and I wanted a
nonlaboratory job.
When I got my MBA, I knew I wasn’t going to work in a hospital and was
interested in health care marketing. I saw there was going to be a
change in the way health care was marketed, in that it was becoming
more competitive and I wanted to combine that with my nursing.
Q: Tell me about losing your sight.
After I got my MBA, I went to work for Blue Cross in provider
relations, but in 1986-87, I started to lose my vision due to diabetic
retinopathy. I’d been a diabetic since I was 15. In 1987, I lost my
sight and left my job.
First, I took a
medical leave but it was too long a time for them to hold on to my job.
ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) wasn’t around then, so there were
no offers of accommodation. I was also physically ill with increased
diabetic complications. My blood sugars were unstable plus I had
gastric problems, along with a severe clinical depression. I was
totally depressed and felt like I’d lost my grip on the world.
Eventually, with a lot of support, I got hooked up with the Department
of Services for the Blind and Lighthouse for the Blind and moved into
their training center for nine months.
They taught me coping and living skills like basic cooking, increasing
my mobility, and how to use a cane. They gave me a complete
orientation. I learned things like finding my way around buildings
using the cane and using the tactile differences. I also had an
instructor who oriented me to office spaces and different mobility
challenges.
They also introduced me
to computers with speech. I didn’t know how to type before the training
but soon learned. Today, I use a computer screen reader called JAWS, or
Job Access With Speech, along with a scanner for my everyday work.
One of the challenges I face is the ever-changing technology — keeping
up with the changing technology. Once a week, I also have a person who
reads for me.
When I completed my
nine months, I was a changed person, even though I still had a ways to
go. The training focus was concentrated on self-confidence, which was
so necessary as I felt so lost.
Q: What was your first job after that training?
I knew I had to get back into the workforce and asked others and myself
what I could do. There was a friend, Wayne Armstrong, of TRA Recruiting
Associated, who had a small recruiting company for physicians and
CRNAs. He said, “No reason this can’t work.”
I got a computer with speech from the Department of Services for the
Blind and took WordPerfect classes. When there was a problem, this
wonderful man said, “We’ll learn it together.”
Q: What are you doing now?
The last six years I’ve worked as a nurse and clinical recruiter,
finding CRNAs, surgical technologists, LPNs, medical assistants, health
unit coordinators, and nurse managers. I also do a smattering of
recruiting and other clinical-type jobs.
Q: What special recruiting strategies do you have now that weren’t
present before?
Recruiting today, I know we have to use every tool available from print
to the web to job fairs and résumé mining. We even have a special
extended residency and orientation-training program for RNs and LPNs.
It’s sort of a grow-your-own program.
It’s so important to obtain the right match. I talk with everyone
one-on-one to find a fit in our organization.
There are always some who want to change their specialty and/or career
focus. I’ve got a real knack for coaching people through change and can
enthusiastically mentor them along the way.
I also have a lot of empathy for people in job-search mode.
Q: Is there anything that you would like to add?
Life can throw you a curveball and sometimes a person has to just take
it and run with it. Today, I have such an active life that extends
beyond work.
My hobbies include cooking, water aerobics, long-distance walking, and snowshoeing.
A person has got to be dedicated and wanting to work by doing whatever
it takes to overcome life’s barriers. |
