From First Stick to First Shift: One Nurse’s Early Lessons in Confidence, Care, and Connection

From First Stick to First Shift: One Nurse’s Early Lessons in Confidence, Care, and Connection

How one nurse in training stacked her education to gain real-world experience—and find her perfect nursing fit. 

Like many teenagers, Sierra L. watched a grandparent wrestle with illness. For this future nurse, a fateful trip to the hospital sparked something new inside her: the call to care.

He’d had a lot of treatments, but I had never really spent a lot of time in the hospital before, she recalls. As I watched his care team interact with him, I knew right away that I wanted to be a professional where I could give back and help people heal.

The stage was set for then 17-year-old Sierra, who began her associate’s degree in nursing (ADN) at Kirtland Community College the following year. Itching to get back into the hospital, she enrolled in a phlebotomy technician program while working on her nursing prerequisites so could level up her college earnings and work with patients on her path to a nursing degree. A few months later, with a phlebotomist certificate in hand, she applied for a blood drawing role at Munson Healthcare Grayling Hospital.

Starting out in that role was life-changing for me because I had been working a minimum wage job, and this was my first official introduction to healthcare. I didn’t really know anything else, the Mio, Michigan native explains. It was an overwhelming welcome for me as soon as I started. I was meeting so many different doctors and nurses, and it confirmed for me, Ok, this is where I belong.

Finding Her Footing: Sierra’s Start in the Lab

With a new role that felt more meaningful to her, 19-year-old Sierra acquainted herself with hospital life: the patients, the different hospital wings and specialties, and the many teammates who helped her along her way.

They really helped me develop my confidence, she says. But it was more than just confidence that changed her. While peers were away at college, immersed in dorm life, Sierra was getting an education of a more experiential kind.

The phlebotomy role really shaped who I am as a person. My mentality transformed in a way because for the first time, my work had real meaning for me, she explains. I developed a lot of relationships, especially with our patients in the long-term-care facility that’s attached to Grayling Hospital.

As she cared for her patients, many of whom she saw routinely, Sierra found herself constantly wondering, What are they going through emotionally? What diagnosis are they facing?

It really helped me develop my empathy for others, she says.

A Wish Fulfilled

With her nursing school graduation on the heels of her 21st birthday, Sierra had just one wish: a nursing role had just opened on the Post-Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU) at Grayling Hospital. Though she’d originally fancied herself an ER nurse, Sierra had fallen in love with surgery prep and discharge during her nursing school clinicals.

I am one of those people who understands anxiety and jitters—even during my own medical care and procedures. The thought of being there for patients and making a difference in their lives just seemed like a strong fit for me.

Her then manager recommended her, and Sierra was hired as the team’s first new graduate nurse. She completed a thorough hands‑on orientation and continued her education immediately, staying at Kirtland to earn her BSN through a partner university.

Munson reimburses a large portion of my education, she says. That support lets me keep growing while I’m working, she says.

Watch for a behind-the-scenes peek at Sierra in her PACU role.

In the PACU: Calming Nerves Through Care

Educating patients, staying by their side before surgery, and assisting with their post-surgery recovery keep this aspiring nurse practitioner in constant motion.

Nursing is a profession that allows you to give back. It is one of the most rewarding careers. I get to listen, lend a hand, and even give a hug if needed. Being a patient is vulnerable, and I get to help people through that.