Nurse Up!

By Jennifer Olin, BSN, RN

“Nurses aren’t really the best at taking care of themselves.

That’s where I can help.”

And so begins my introduction to Nurse Keith, aka Keith Carlson, RN. Over the phone, Carlson is soft-spoken and considered in his answers to my questions about this relatively new specialty by nurses, for nurses. Good traits when you need someone to listen. Carlson is part of the up and coming field of nurse coaches; health care providers who help others discover, or rediscover, what drew them to nursing in the first place and how they can find greater satisfaction and joy in both their professional and personal lives.

How did you come to be in this field, nurse coaching?

”I have been a nurse for 15 years, and I’ve worked in a variety of clinical settings. I’ve specialized in home health, community health, and case management. I worked in in public health, hospice, and even nursing education. I taught in an LPN (licensed practical nurse) program. I did a fair amount of precepting in home health and I precept case management nurses.

”My wife and I both did coach training over the last few years. It was a way I could offer my skills and services in a way I couldn’t as a nurse. At first I was planning to offer health and wellness training to the general public, then I determined that nurses were the people I knew best.”

What about nurses stood out to you as a good audience for personal coaching?

”Nurses really work under a great deal of stress in general. A nursing career can really raise a lot of questions about your chosen career path. Nursing has changed so much in the last 20 years. Nurses are reevaluating their professional roles and their personal lives. “

Your client base, is it more new nurses or experienced RNs?

Original url:

http://www.rncentral.com/blog/2012/nurses-coach-keith-carlson-promotes-self-care/

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