Ed4Nurses Empowers!
Despite the hardships of nursing, many nurses have found a way to make their career fulfilling. In my own experience, I got burned out by the rapid pace of a level one trauma center and considered leaving the profession altogether. I took a certification review class and it ignited the spark of lifelong learning and curiosity that led me to work in a variety of clinical areas. I found that advancing my career allowed me to affect nursing on a larger scale. The more I learned, the easier clinical care became. The desire to make a greater impact is what led me to teaching.
Recently, I was talking to a nurse named Ann who has been nursing for 49 years. She told me that her hospital was forcing her to retire at 50 years of service, but that she already had a part-time job lined up for retirement. Ann had a glow in her eyes as she talked of the many patients whose lives she has touched in her career. She was fired up about nursing!
I want to hear (and share) more stories about how you have found satisfaction in nursing. Please email it to me at
custservice@ed4nurses.com.
Meet the expert:
David W. Woodruff, MSN, RN-BC, CNS, CMSRN, CEN
Alumnus CCRN
I began my career as a paramedic. After years of working in the field, I wanted to do more. As a paramedic, I got to see the healthcare system from the outside, and I really appreciated what the nurses did. They were the ones at the bedside implementing the interventions and that excited me, so I went to nursing school.
I’ve worked in MICU, SICU, CCU, and neurological and trauma units. I taught medical-surgical and critical care nursing, and am a frequent contributor to Nursing, RN, and Nursing Made Incredibly Easy.
Throughout my career, I continued my education while working full-time and juggling family responsibilities. Often times I thought “there’s got to be a better way” to learn without dragging several heavy textbooks around with me, or trying to read a page or two during my break. I found audio and video products to be invaluable. I could listen in the car, and even when I was too tired to read I could watch a video.
Later in my professional development, I found that relevancy became much more important. “Tell me how I can use this at the patient’s bedside” became my credo. But, the harder I looked, the harder it was to find practical and useful continuing education.
I made a decision to dedicate my teaching to “filling the void” between theory and practice. The final decision about whether I teach a concept depends on whether it would be useful and practical to the bedside nurse.
-David Woodruff is one of the most intelligent and gifted speakers I have had the pleasure to learn from. -PC, RN
-What a pleasure it is to listen to this energetic, relaxed, and dynamic speaker! -JV, RN
-Dynamic speaker -- his analogies are wonderful! -CR, RN
Our Advanced Practice Nurse Consultants:
JoAnn Green, MSN, RN, CCNS, Alumnus CCRN
Kimberly A. Woodruff, MSN, RN, PCCN
Sherry Stott, MSN, RNC-OB, C-EFM, ACNS-BC
Claudia Greenlee, MSN, RN, CPNP
Ed4Nurses
A Division of PESI HEalthCare
P.O. Box 900
Eau Claire, WI 54702-0900
(800) 843-7763
Fax: (800) 990-2585