60: Why I’m Pitching Myself to Nursing Schools (And Why It Scares Me)

My business is evolving again… and this next step feels exciting, aligned, and honestly a little scary. In this episode of Life After Nursing School, I talk about why I’m starting to pitch my workshops to nursing schools and how my nursing career keeps changing in ways I never expected.

We talk about:
 • Career growth as a nurse
 • Imposter syndrome when you put yourself out there
 • Becoming a nurse entrepreneur
 • Teaching, speaking, and coaching nursing students
 • How to know when your career is evolving
 • Following your strengths instead of staying comfortable

I also share how working as a clinical instructor helped me realize that education, career coaching, and helping new nurses navigate the job market might actually be part of my purpose.

If you’re a nursing student, new grad nurse, or experienced nurse feeling called to do more, this episode will remind you that growth often feels uncomfortable, but that doesn’t mean you’re on the wrong path.

⬇️ Follow the show for weekly nursing career advice
🎧 Listen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts
📲 Follow @NurseCoachCaroline for more nurse tips

Connect with Nurse Coach Caroline:

Instagram →⁠ @NurseCoachCaroline⁠

TikTok →⁠ @NurseCoachCaroline⁠

Youtube → Nurse Coach Caroline 

Website →⁠ nursecoachcaroline.com⁠

Please consider rating & subscribing to the show if this episode brought value to your life! I am here for you!

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:01

Hey, hey, welcome to Life After Nursing School. I'm your host, Caroline Dana, aka Nurse Coach Caroline. And I'm here to help you, the new nurse, thrive in your career. As a former nurse recruiter, nurse manager, and now your personal new nurse career coach, I'm obsessed with making sure you don't just survive your first couple of years at the bedside. I want you to absolutely rock them. From the challenges to the triumphs, I'll be right here with you, giving you the real-world advice and support that you need to shine. Whether you're in nursing school getting ready for life after, or you're already out there in nurse life feeling overwhelmed or even questioning your confidence, I've got your back. I'll be sharing tips, tricks, resources, and strategies that are just for you. We'll dive into everything from landing that dream nursing job to slaying imposter syndrome, and most importantly, how to keep that spark alive and stay the vibrant and amazing nurse that you are. So if you're ready to tackle the things nursing school did not cover, like how to build a career, trust yourself, and keep your passion strong, then get comfortable because we are about to dive in and make nurse life the best life. Today I want to talk about something that feels a little scary for me to say out loud, but also could be really exciting. And that is the fact that my business is evolving yet again. If you've been listening to this podcast for a while, you know that my business has changed a lot over the past couple of years. Where I started looks very different from where I am now. And one thing I've realized along the way is that you have to allow your business to evolve as you evolve. Because the truth is, we just we don't stay the same. Our interests change, our confidence changes, our skills grow, and our life circumstances change. And if you let your business grow with you instead of trying to force it to stay the same, that's where the real magic happens. And I know I've said that on this podcast before. So right now, the direction my business is going in is something that honestly feels very aligned, but also a little uncomfortable. I've decided that 2026 is going to be the year that I start pitching my services to nursing schools and embracing being more visible. My goal is to build partnerships with nursing programs where I can provide workshops for students, helping them prepare for the next phase of their journey, which is getting their first nursing job. Because if you've listened to this podcast, you already know we spend so much time in nursing school learning how to pass exams, how to care for patients, how to survive clinical, but we don't spend a lot of time learning how to actually navigate the job market or what to expect in that first year as a new grad nurse. We don't know how to stand out, right? Nursing students don't know how to interview well or how to choose the right first job. And that's exactly where I feel like I can help the most. What's funny is if you told me a few years ago that I would be speaking in front of nursing students, pitching workshops and trying to work with schools, I probably would have laughed. I used to say all the time that I would never be a clinical instructor. And then fast forward to 2024 and I started working as a clinical instructor. And I'm not going to lie, I was pleasantly surprised. The pay was good, the flexibility was amazing. And honestly, the schedule works perfect for my life right now, right? I have three kids, I am building a business, and in this role, I have the option to have summers off, I have winter break off, and when you have kids, that is huge. And even if you don't have kids, that kind of schedule is still pretty amazing. As a clinical instructor, I teach both in the lab setting and in the hospital. In the lab, most of our days involve different groups rotating through stations, and usually there's a lecture portion with a PowerPoint for about an hour and then a hands-on skills portion for another hour, and then we repeat that. And the funny thing is, as an adjunct faculty member, I don't always know what I'm teaching until I show up. So there's been many times where I've had to get very comfortable speaking in front of groups, thinking on my feet, and interacting with students in real time. There's been many times where I am teaching a PowerPoint that I don't even know what's on the next slide. Okay. And it's not what I expected, but honestly, I really love it. At first I was very nervous, felt awkward. I felt like, who am I to be sp standing up here teaching? But over time, I realized that this is actually a space where I feel really natural. I enjoy talking to students and teaching and answering questions. And I especially enjoy talking about career navigation, the job market, resumes, interviews, all the things that new nurses feel lost about. And the more I've done it, the more I realize this might actually be one of my strengths. I know I'm an engaging speaker. I know I enjoy being in front of a group live if possible. And I know that I have a lot of experience when it comes to the new grad nurse job market. So lately I've had this feeling that it might be time to step into that more. Okay. Stop playing small, stop waiting for someone to invite me and start putting myself out there. And if I'm being honest, that part scares me because pitching myself to schools feels very different than posting on social media. It feels more official, it feels more vulnerable, it feels like you can actually be told no. But at the same time, it also feels very aligned. I really believe that we're all given a unique set of strengths. And when we find a way to lean into those strengths while also following something we're passionate about, that's when we are stepping into our purpose. And I think it took me a long time to understand that. For a long time, I thought success meant following the traditional path. As we know, I have a recent episode all about success in the nursing career. So check that out if you're interested in what success means to you. And then I also thought success meant building an online business. And now I'm realizing success might actually look like combining everything I've learned: nursing, teaching, hiring, coaching, speaking, and bringing it all together. I remember seeing a video from Reese Witherspoon, and I do believe that I have talked about this on this podcast before, but it's great to share again. And Reese shares this experience where a woman reaches out to her for career advice, and the girl is asking her how to figure out what she should do with her life and how to chase her dreams. And Reese says to her, Well, what are your talents? Tell me your talents. And the girl couldn't answer. She didn't know what her talents were. And Reese said something that really stuck with me. She said, You shouldn't follow your dreams. You should follow your talents. Because your talents are clues and they point you toward what you're naturally good at. And when you follow those, that's where your success starts to happen. And that really hit me. Because when I look at my own career, the things I keep coming back to are teaching, coaching, speaking, helping nurses navigate their careers. So this year, my goal is to start reaching out to nursing schools, pitching workshops and seeing where the path leads. Not because I have it all figured out, not because I'm 100% confident. Because let me tell you, I am definitely nervous to do something like this, but because I feel like that's the direction I'm supposed to go next. And I won't know until I pitch my services if there is someone that sees the value in what I'm offering. And if there's one thing I've learned in my career, it's that sometimes the things that scare you a little are the things that you're meant to try. My hope is that I can get into some nursing schools, share what I know, help students feel more prepared for the real world, get them excited about this next chapter rather than terrified of it or avoiding it. Because that transition from nursing school to your first job is huge. And if I can make that easier for even a few students, that feels so meaningful to me. And honestly, that feels like success. Something else I've noticed in my career and honestly in my business too is that every time I get close to a new level, it feels uncomfortable. Like really uncomfortable. Not the kind of uncomfortable where something feels wrong, but the kind where you know you're stretching into something bigger than what you're used to. And that's where I'm at right now. For the past couple of years, I've grown more and more comfortable posting online, recording podcast episodes, interviewing people, working with students one-on-one, creating courses. All of that feels normal to me now. But pitching myself to nursing schools feels like the next level. It feels more official, it feels more visible. It feels like I'm putting myself out there in a way where I can actually be rejected. And I know I will be rejected. Not everyone's gonna say yes to me and my services. But also, whenever you start doing something that feels like the next level, your brain wants to pull you back to the safety zone, right? It wants to keep you safe. It starts saying things to you like who you think you are and why would they want you? And there are people more qualified than you. And is the timing right? You're not ready yet. And I've learned that those thoughts don't mean you're on the wrong path. Most of the time, they mean you're growing because growth always feels a little scary. Leveling up always feels a little bit uncomfortable or a lot uncomfortable. And doing something new almost always comes a little bit with doubt. But every time in my life I've pushed through that feeling, something good has come from it. And I'm going to tell myself when I get rejected, because again, not everyone is going to say yes to me. I'm going to think, okay, if not this, then something better. So instead of taking the fear as a sign to stop, I'm trying to take it as a sign that I might actually be going in the right direction. And of course, I am sharing all of this to help myself keep myself accountable and let you know that what you might see on my social media doesn't mean that I'm 100% confident all the time. Now, I want to talk imposter syndrome. I would be lying if I said that imposter syndrome hasn't been coming up for me with this, because it definitely has. When you start pitching yourself to schools, organizations, or bigger audiences, it suddenly feels different than just posting on Instagram or recording a podcast. It makes you question yourself. You start thinking, am I qualified enough? Do I know enough? Why would they pick me? What if they say no? And I think this is something a lot of nurses struggle with because we're so used to being in an environment where there's always someone who knows more than us. There's always a more experienced nurse, there's always a doctor, there's always a manager, 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 can feel really uncomfortable. But the truth is, I've spent over a decade in nursing. I've worked in bedside, I've worked in leadership, I've worked in recruitment, I've been on hiring teams. I've coached hundreds of students and new grads. And even with all that experience, I can still catch myself thinking, who am I to do this? And I think that's important to talk about because imposter syndrome doesn't go away just because you get experience and you gain experience. Sometimes it actually shows up more when you're about to step into something bigger. And if we're constantly growing and evolving, then we're constantly stepping into something new or something bigger. So if you ever felt that way when you try something new in your career, maybe you're gonna be charged for the first time or you're finally off orientation. It doesn't mean you're not ready. Okay, if these feelings are coming up, it doesn't mean you're not ready. It usually means you're stepping outside of your comfort zone. And that's exactly where growth happens. And another reason I'm leaning into this right now, even though it scares me, is that I feel like I am being nudged in this direction. I'm listening to my intuition. I am also very big on manifestation and spirituality and God and the universe, etc. And I don't know if that's what you believe in or if this resonates with you, but I really feel that sometimes life keeps pointing you towards something. And the more you pay attention, the more obvious it becomes. For me, teaching keeps coming up. Speaking keeps coming up, working with students keeps coming up, even becoming a clinical instructor, it was not something I planned. I swear on anything that I used to tell people I would never be a clinical instructor. And now here I am, doing it, enjoying it, and realizing that it might actually be leading me somewhere, somewhere else, hopefully somewhere bigger and brighter and better. And I've noticed this pattern in my life where the things I'm meant to do don't always start as a big, clear plan. Often I'm resistant to the change, but sometimes they start as a small idea, a random opportunity, like when I was asked to be the hospital recruiter. At first I was like, uh no, that makes no sense. But a little feeling said, well, maybe this might be something. So I accepted the position. And the more you follow these nudges, the more they start to make sense. And I really believe that we're not meant to stay the same forever. We're meant to evolve and grow and try new things, and we're meant to change directions sometimes. And I think the more that we do this and recognize this, the quicker we are able to grow to our potential or reach our potential. And sometimes the reason something keeps coming to your mind is because it's meant for you to explore. So even though pitching myself to nursing schools feels a little scary, it also feels very aligned. I know if I can get in that room and teach nursing students, they will have a great time. They will learn a lot, and they will be so excited for that next chapter of their nursing journey. And I know it's something I could have benefited huge from at the end of my nursing school progression. I really could have used that extra level of support. And I think it's really great to also be reminded as to what is next for us and what what is the point of all of this hard work in nursing school? Oh, yeah, it's to actually become a nurse. And this is what this next chapter is gonna look like for me, and to kind of get that excitement and also share those insights with people really be so, so, so beneficial. So I've really learned to trust that intuitive feeling, and I've learned to trust it because every time I followed something that felt aligned, even if it didn't make sense at the time, it ended up leading me exactly where I needed to go. So I just wanted to share this short message with you today. And if you are battling imposter syndrome or you're trying something new, or you think that my business is all easy and you know, rainbow and sunshine all the time, it's not, it's hard work, and I am constantly challenging myself and putting myself out there and finding ways that I can best serve as many nursing students and new grads as possible. So just wanted to keep it real with you, share what's going on with me, and just say that you're not alone in any of these feelings if they are coming up for you. All right, my friend, this was a short episode, but something that I felt was on my heart and that I wanted to share. So, as always, I have one hand for me and the other for you. Signing off. Well, that's it for today's episode of Life After Nursing School. I hope you feel more confident and ready to tackle the challenges that come with starting your nursing career. Remember, the first year or two might not be easy, but with the right mindset, you can overcome anything. If you found value in today's episode, I'd love for you to hit that subscribe button so you never miss a future episode. Also, please consider leaving a review on your favorite podcast platform. It helps so much in reaching other new nurses like you. Thanks for listening, and remember, you've got this. Take care and see you next time.