The Nursing Journey | DNP | Nurse Entrepreneurship with Sandra Pagenta, DNP

Dr. Sandra Pagenta is a nurse practitioner, urologic proceduralist, and the host of the Doctor Nurse Podcast. Sandra found that her experiences in her professional career are beneficial to other nurses. She knew a platform needed to be developed to help other nurses on their journeys. She has precepted and mentored nurses who asked questions about how she got to where she is now. Sandra continues to inspire and encourage other nurses on her podcast. She wants to provide a platform for other doctor nurses to share their journeys, inspire, and create change! 

 

Key takeaways from this episode: 

 

5:30- What is expected when nurses enter the profession vs. the current climate. 

 

8:00 Scarcity mindset and how to break away from it. 

 

10:00 What a new nurse needs to know. 

 

Are you questioning the steps you’re taking as a nurse? Sandra discusses the struggle nurses have when they are presented with career choices. She teaches us the importance of processing our wishes and intuitions to find areas of nursing that relate more to our personalities. 

 

16:00 Life outside of nursing.

 

The work-life balance changes as your career changes. Sandra gives tips that nurses could use and any mom who juggles working and being present for their families. Then, Ellen and Laci discuss their nursing journey and how that shifted. 

 

23:20 Becoming a mother and shifting priorities. 

 

Ellen opens up about how her nursing career shifted after having children and how she has redefined herself as a nurse. 

 

25:58 Nursing is versatile.  

 

29:45 Should nurses practice at the doctoral level?  

 

There is a constant fight amongst nurses when it comes to education levels. Ellen, Laci, and Sandra debate this topic and give their perspectives. Laci feels nurses need experience as a bedside nurse, and Sandra feels that there are nurses that do not need the experience to be a good nurse practitioner. Ellen brings up the fact that there are avenues that matter when deciding to practice at the bedside vs advancing immediately. Do you feel that the bedside is the foundation of nursing? 

 

About Dr. Sandra Pagenta 

My name is Dr. Sandra Pagenta, DNP and I am a proceduralist nurse practitioner part-time in the field of Urology and the host of the Doctor Nurse Podcast. I have experience in neurosurgery, pre-op, oncology, urology, gastroenterology, ED, and med-surg nursing. I am passionate about nurses understanding their value and worth due to experiences that I went through in my career. I had no idea how valuable nurses are to the healthcare field. I created the podcast as a platform for nurses to share their journeys through their careers and provide advice they would've like to know before they would have started their jobs. The purpose of the podcast is to inspire mentorship and growth. I believe you've got to know what people went through to get where they are today in order to feel like you can make a change yourself. I really hope to inspire nurses to become entrepreneurs, desire more education, and step outside of their comfort zones on the podcast.

 

Connect with Sandra: 

Doctor Nurse Podcast 

https://www.instagram.com/doctornursepodcast/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandra-p-18420836/

 

Follow the hosts on Instagram -
@mslacilea @ellenlauletta @stl_injector

Email: scrubcapsandsippycups@gmail.com
Or you can leave us an audio message that could air on a future podcast episode!
https://www.speakpipe.com/Scrubcapsandsippycups

Facebook: Scrub Caps and Sippy Cups
Instagram: @heysmartmommas

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