Ian English, RN
When I was in high school, I was set on being a police officer. I wanted to help people, and to keep people safe. I was in Police Explorers for years, and went to college in Mankato for law enforcement. I joined the Army during college to round out my experience. I became a military police officer in the Army Reserves, deployed to Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.
When I came back to finish college, I got a job doing hospital security; I figured that would be good experience to be a police officer. I worked with a lot of nurses and doctors and medical staff. I felt like I was able to help people, make a difference in people’s care, and keep people safe
I finished my degree – a double major in law enforcement and political science – but realized that I didn’t want to be a police officer after all.
I liked working in the hospital environment. I looked for a supervisor position in public safety, and found it at Northfield Hospital. I was public safety supervisor here for about a year and a half, and I loved working with the hospital staff, and the ED staff in particular.
But I felt like I could do more to help people and keep people safe, be more involved as part of the team. So I went to nursing school, while still working full-time in public safety.
As a nurse, you can see directly that you’re helping people, and they appreciate what you do for them. It’s very rewarding to be able to feel like you’re making a difference in someone’s life.
I chose to work in the ED because I like the pace, and I appreciate the mindset of the ED staff. It’s a very direct communication environment, because things need to get done right away. In the ED, the staff are versatile and can roll with the punches. I fit well in that environment.
As a new nursing grad, I came into the experience with a mindset that I’m still learning and absorbing a lot of new information. I was comfortable asking a lot of questions and recognizing that there’s always something new to learn. I’ve been fortunate to have fantastic mentors in the ED who have helped me grow as a nurse.
My experience in public safety in the hospital setting certainly gave me a portion of the skills I use today as a nurse. In the ED, I tend to get assigned more of the behavioral issue patients, which I’m happy to do because it’s in my wheelhouse. Sometimes it is hard when I see another nurse working with a patient or visitor who is having a behavioral outburst or acting inappropriately, and I want to step in and help. But as a nurse now, I’m responsible for different things, so I can’t always be able step in to help, even when I feel like I should.
My advice for young people thinking about their career options: Keep an open mind. You don’t need to tie yourself to one option; it’s OK to change your mind. Someone could look at my journey and say, “You spent five years in college and the Army to become a cop, but you’re not using that degree.” Even so, that experience and education were not a waste. Those experiences helped shape my working style, my personality, and my work ethic; I believe that has made me a better person and a better nurse today.
Be open to new experiences that make you look at people a little differently and bring you different friends and colleagues. Life is a journey; make the most of it.