In nursing, most of my work was completed in a specialty care department, usually in an ICU or high risk, high stress environment. Because of that, I had to learn to think on my feet, moving quickly, responding decisively with confidence. At the same time, I needed to be very aware of what was happening around me, being prepared for the potential outcomes and need for change in directions depending on the patient response to the care. The type of nursing I was doing, whether at the bedside, in leadership, or mentoring and teaching, can best be compared to a sprint. Sometimes that sprint might last 12 hours, so it was important to stay engaged and sharp, with an awareness of what was critical to notice and shutting out the extra noise in the background that did not affect the incident at hand.

After that sprint was over, there was time for looking back, to examine the outcome, this was the coaching time, the reflecting time.  This time was used to evaluate and celebrate the excellent outcomes. At the same time, this was used to look for missed opportunities, possible errors, potential system aspects that made it difficult to be able to do the right thing effectively.

I write about many of the same topics that I encountered as a nurse, or related issues, supplies, or equipment. However, with the writing I see myself more as the coach, reviewing game tapes, examining the best plays, looking at the percentage chance of success if certain actions are taken. After the examination phase, the writing can be compared to planning out the game, recording the proposal, documenting the best design going forward. The audience is the team, the article is the game plan, and if these are put together well, the result is a win.

So, what am I able to express in writing that I could not express in nursing? Maybe it is more accurate to say I express the same things differently, in writing than I did in nursing. In writing I present content that takes all the years in the sprint phase, combined with the evaluation of the event,  polished through the examination of the collective insights and produce a written document that is able to meet the needs of the client and their audience.