Blog from the Safe in Common iPad Winner: Danielle

Nursing was a career I stumbled into. When I was little, I wanted to be a doctor. Then high school came along and the thought of 10 more years of school made me look for something different. I tried a few other fields (do you know it’s hard to make a living as an artist?) and ultimately decided to become a nurse.

I chose nursing because it involved hands on health care, it was a career of compassion and caring and after my first term of classes, I was bit by the nursing bug. During my History of Nursing course, I learned about Nurse Practitoners and their autonomy and their critical role providing medical education and care to patients. So, I set my goal to achieve my ADN, find a job and eventually become a Nurse Practitioner. I finally achieved that goal two years ago and I have loved every minute of it!

Currently, I am working as a family nurse practitioner in a rural community. I help care for and treat patients from infants to the elderly. I also educate my patients every day on diabetes & insulin injections, weight loss, vaccines, exercise, ways to lower blood pressure and cholesterol through diet and exercise, etc. Every day it is my job to help patients be proactive in preventative health care and promote their own health and well-being. This is one of the reasons why I signed Safe in Common's Needlestick Safety Pledge, because I can't promote health and well-being and preventative health care if I don't live by example.

I have been nursing for 7½ years and I have not yet had a needlestick injury, but I have co-workers who have had needlestick injuries and patients who received injuries because of improperly disposed needles. Needlestick injuries create worry and fear about diseases that no one wants to have. It is important, as nurses, that we teach proper disposal and needlestick prevention. If we lead by example, we are more likely to help others, as well as ourselves, prevent unnecessary harm and injury from needlesticks. I think it is very important that everyone take the Safe in Common Pledge and fight to eliminate needlesticks!