SHINE WATKINS
BA, MSN, TNCC, RN
GLIMPSE INTO MY LIFE
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BUT I AM EXHUBERANTLY PROUD eaCh tIMe yoU cALl FOR NURSE SHINE
AS I REFLECT ON MY CAREER, I AM PROUD OF MY ACCOMPLISHMENTS, GRATEFUL FOR MY PERSEVERENCE, BLESSED TO FULFILLING MY PROFESSIONAL PURPOSE, AND PLEASED FOR EACH challenge THAT BECAME A LESSON OR NEW OPPORTUNITY​​
​I have PERSEVERED THROUGH SOME OF THE MOST TRAUMATIC but rewarding MOMENTS OF MY personal and professional LIFE amidst A PANDEMIC
AFTER 11 YEARS AT THE bedside
I am grateful that each shift
I can be of service,
contributing to my PROFESSIONAL PURPOSE and challenged daily!
LIFE BEFORE THE BADGE
BEFORE I DISCOVERED MY PASSION, I was a passport collecting premed student speNDING MY TIME on the runway IN stilettos when i wasn't out the country.
IF I WASN'T STUDYING OR AT A SUmMER EXTERNSHIP PROGRAM i was fostering relationships and living life as i determined it should
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i wORKED AT THE COLLEGE BOOKSTORE, then there
WAS A STENT AS a manager at Abercrombie and fitch, AND as A
MEDICAL BILLER.While DATA ENTRY WAS not A favoritE,
THAT EXPERIENCE impacted MY practice prioritizing COST EFFECTIVE care.
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I SOAKED IN EVERY ASPECT of my job IN MY TIME WORKING AS A MEDICAL SCRIBE. i sOUGHT EXTRA SHIFTS OR SPENT TIME AFTER SHIFTS LEARNING FROM PA'S, NP'S, HEADS OF DEPARTMENTS seeking there counsel. THE TIME SPENT IN THIS ROLE MADE ME COMFORTABLE AT BEDSIDE WHEN I FINALLY MADE THE SWITCH to nursing AND PLANTED THE SEED FOR MY THOROUGH DOCUMENTATION.
WAY BACK WHEN...
I EXCELLED IN THE SECOND DEGREE ACCELERATED BSN PROGRAM WHILE WORKING FULL TIME
biggest praise to montefiore soundshore
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gio pa paul stalin cims
​at the age of 26,
i packed up and moved from NEW YORK CITY, LEAVING BEHIND everyone and everything I knew
WHY YOU ASK?!
FOR MY FIRST JOB AT AN INTERNATIONALLY KNOWN TEACHING HOSPITAL. ​​
baltimore eventually earned a special place in my heart its there i grew up professionally, became a home owner, and started thinking about the brand and my legacy​
EMERGENCY & TRAUMA MEDICINEÂ
I proudly wear the badge
of a ​​
REGISTERED NURSE
my path was as unique as i am but found my niche in the unpredictable
trauma bays and
structure chaos of the
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Emergency department​
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IT IS THERE I TAKE PRIDE IN HelpING MY PATIENT navigate ANY CHALLENGES,
prioritizING THEIR physical & emotional WELLBEING, EMPHASIZING PATIENT CENTERED CARE ALL WHILST TREATING MY PATIENT with dignity and respect
no matter THE walk of life
as I carry YOUR BURDENS and ease anxieties, I WANT TO replace fear and doubt with positivity!
or at least REASSURANCE, KNOWLEDGE AND A laugh!
like the guides of mount everest
my natural habitat is unusual. i AM MOST COMFORTABLE IN THE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT and i am successful when i empoweR YOU
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THE ER CAN BE OVERWHELMING OR TRIGGERING, without judgement we can be creative to make you comfortable + i will be THERE FOR YOU AND YOUR LOVED ONEs
HEALTHCARE
SHERPA
EACH SHIFT I COMMIT TO:
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help you navigate ANY CHALLENGES
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prioritize your physical & emotional WELLBEING
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treat you with dignity and respect no matter your walk of life
as I carry YOUR BURDENS and ease your anxieties
I WANT TO replace fear and doubtwith positivity,or at least REASSURANCE & A laugh!
nomad rv trAVEL NURSE
These days you will find me driving MY house on wheels, lovingly
known as Eunice.
wearing the
Travel Nurse badge,
i was gifted a
once in a lifetime opportunity
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to be of service on a national level WHILE refinING my practice
and
being exposed to THE OTHER SIDE OF THE TRAUMA SPECTRUM
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i drive eunice like a pro now but i will ADMIT i had to get used to more than just RV living
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'twas
quite the journey but the logistics of driving was another adventure
by itself...
la vida de la enfermera DE la calle
THE LIFE OF A travel nurse
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I REALIZED NURSING IS NOT NURSING AND THERE IS A REGION SPECIFIC WAY TO DO THINGS... SO learn and , and learned in an paralleled way
i also realized despite my best attempts i would rEVEAL MY HOMETOWN almost immediately due to my inability to pronounce vowels
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(SORRY MOM)
THE Rv was a LITTLE HAVEN, A SMALL BIT OF consistency in an otherwise fluctuating lifestyle which gave me a peace of mind as i went with the ebbs and flows of travel nursing
just beyond the doors behind the ambulance bay.was my oasis, the space i created for times like these
otherwise i ACCLIMATED
EACH CONTRACt TO A new city,
new routine, new bike route, i oriented to a NEW hospital, blended with the team learned the policies & embodied their values to proudly represent
my FIRST WEEK
as an rv owner
i hit a LOW HANGING tree BRANCH while parking..
but the hydrant came out of no where!
but i learned
to
not just left
and right
look up
Working at a RURAL HOSPITAL was
a pivotal moment in my journey! i felt like i was
living in a Microsoft desktop background. Not only was it a quAINT TOWN surrounded by beautiful valleys and farms;
it served as the ONLY ACCESS within a 4 hour radius. I was exposed to THE OTHER END OF THE emergency medicine spectrum. there were chief complaints and injuries THAT a nurse from New York City could not imagine
told you the views on my drive were breathtaking BEAUTIFUL!
june 2021
almost three years since i moved into my house on wheels, i can still say it is still an adventure.
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while i miss some aspects of a brick + morter home, I WOULDN'T TrADE IT FOR THE WORLD! I CANNOT IMAGINE LIFE WITHOUT MY TINY HOME ON WHEELS... SO WHERE EVER I LAY ROOTS IT MUST HAVE ROOM FOR EUNICE!
med-surg nurse
​as a new graduate nurse i accepted a position on the CDU
the Clinical Decision Unit, a designated unit within the emergency department
the cdu was nestles away at a hopkins satellite hospital in Bethesda, MD.
The CDU is for patients who did not meet the inpatient criteria for admission, but we're too unstable for discharge.
it was the perfect blend of two worlds
(Med-Surg + ED),
a haven for this driven new nurse.
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I was exposed to a plethora of diagnoses and learned the importance of preparation, the skill of anticipation of decompensation through patient assessment paired with chart review from esteemed nurses.
Halsted 4 / Meyer 9
four months into my career, I took the first of many leaps of faith in my career
i transferred to the Main Campus of The Johns Hopkins Hospital
in the thick of East Baltimore, Maryland. ​
IT WAS THERE
I FELT THE WEIGHT OF MY decision but in the most inspire way!
it changed how i thought about my PROFESSION, THE SIGNIFICANT ROLE I PLAYED, in the lives of others, ​There I learned everything
surrounded by the ELITE
Halsted 4 ​
WAS A CLOSE KNIT UNIT OF VETERAN EXPERT NURSES FROM So MANY WALKS OF LIFE. It was like a little piece of new york city ​​​​
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later turned meyer 9 we remained a cose knit and welcoming family of excellence
​The patients were critical, the AMOUNT OF RESOURCES TO match the high acuity,
the lessons plentiful the support limitless.
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. This unit specialized
in all things gastroenterology pre/post transplant, hospice, PALLIATIVE,
organ injury, LONG TERM STAYS, SUBSTANCE MISUSE, organ failure,
chronic disability.
it was fate,
the level of genuine excitement in the achievement of others, the high standards we held individually were as high as the
standard of unit
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There was an expectation and duty to excellence both at and away from the bedside shaping the kind of nurse I am today
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regardless of the title, we were operating with a unified vision
resulting in a collaborative, positive, and forgiving environment
with an unmatched level of care.
A few months in, I was extended an opportunity to attend a workshop and
become an​
EPIC Superuser
for its debut on our campus
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i was familiar with epic but this was a cool opportunity to learn from the epic staff and then figure out tips and tricks for my unit or help those who got stuck in the transition
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with a mere suggestion,
i took another leap of faith i
n my career and myself.
i resuscitated
an inactive committee
By breathing life back into its purpose
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naturally, i took the opportunity
and ran with it ncidentally
discovering a passion & finding a
purpose of my own
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AS THE diabetes educator
I discovered how fascinating diabetes management was, the lack of relatable information available. how important patient education was, the urgency to start education day 1 not at discharge, and how little we all knew
i thought huh my dean was right
i do like teaching
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​AS THE
diabetes educator
. I Represented my unit during monthly hospital wide meetings, sought collaborations with other departments to ensure I had the most current and innovative information
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i was charged with disseminating that information via meetings, emailed newsletters, and compiled resources in a designated binder at the nurses station for easy access and improved outcomes but i know it was because my mentor was thrilled at my passion for it
ALONG WITH MY selF ORDAINED PRESTIGE AS A DIABETES COORDINATOR, my improvements
to the preceptor process to come later, i found myself on A quest for standardization.
my unit had to tolerate me MELTING CUPS of ice, INVESTIGATING HOW WE each DEFINED A CUP, OR DOCUMENTING I/o's so accurately after 1 blunder/miscommunication
not only did i want improved patient outcomes i wanted
a consensus on how we delivered it
float NURSE
I wAS well prepared in making the switch
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support from my unit, tons of research at my fingertips, staff who wanted to teach and
my managers
halsted 4 (Neysa) / Meyer 9 (candy)
were as patient as they were innovative in the opportunities
presented to or negotiated on my behalf
i welcomed new experiences being able to float to every specialized Med-Surg unit
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i welcomed new experiences being able to float to every specialized Med-Surg unit
​without costing the unitS overtime OR being cancelled DUE TO VOLUME
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because unlike many units we were overstaffed
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THese new experiences LAID A
COMPREHENSIVE
FOUNDATION
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which SERVed ME WELL A YEAR LATER AS A WELL rounded emergency medicine nursE