We recently connected with Michelle Haywood and have shared our conversation below.

Michelle, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. How’s you first get into your field – what was your first job in this field?

When I graduated my master’s program, COVID had just hit America hard. I thought finding a job would be easy, but that was far from the truth. I was offered a permanent nurse practitioner position with a private practice, unfortunately; it closed before I could transition into my new role. In addition, companies were hiring for nurses and not nurse practitioners.
Furthermore, being a new graduate didn’t help me because it would cost more to train me rather than hire me as a new practitioner. Consequently, I had to think outside of the box. At that moment, I didn’t know what that consisted of, but I knew I had to bet on myself.
In the state of Maryland, nurse practitioners have full autonomy. Therefore, I started my own practice and “Haywood Medical” was born. I had no clue as to what to expect, I just wanted to work in my new field, and I knew scared money don’t make money.
I can recall sitting in my home office thinking about what services I would offer, writing policy and procedures, medication protocols, employee handbooks, drafting contracts, making schedules, developing marketing strategies, establishing a website, making phone calls, obtaining vendors and more. I had to learn the steps of starting a business from trademarking my company name to acquiring an employee identification number. In addition, learning state laws, discovering what it meant to be in “Good Standing” was all new to me.
Looking back at how I started, there was no team, only a team of one with family and friend’s support. Launching a new practice was not easy, however; being an office manager and a director of nursing in my past prepared me. Throughout that experience I learned what was needed to establish a successful practice. I made connections and friendships that would help me build “Haywood Medical”. Networking became a significant part of opening a new practice. In business, it’s not what you know but who you know.
Overall, I had high hopes, goals, and aspiration that I wanted to achieve. Starting my own practices was the only way I seen fit to move forward. I took everything I learned up until that moment, and today I have seen over hundreds of clients since our doors opened. So unfortunately, there was no first job only my first practice as a nurse practitioner.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

In healthcare, regardless of the specialty if you are not knowledgeable or skilled, then respect is not given. It took my maternal grandmother getting ill for me to see that I needed credentials behind my name to be heard in her overall care. So, I went out and got me some credentials.
I have been a registered nurse since 2013, and a board-certified nurse practitioner for 5 years. Nursing became second hand to me when I was introduced to healthcare in high school. Learning the basic skills set my path forward to discover different avenues of nursing.
I launch “Haywood Medical” as a mobile concierge practice in 2021. Today we offer concierge and on-site services that include: Iv Hydration, Vitamin Injections, Lipo injection, Weight Management, Hair Restoration, Platelet Rich Plasma Therapies, Medical Cannabis Certifications, Primary Care, Diagnostic Testing, along with a few other services.
Being as though I am my brand, the biggest problem I solve for my clients is restoring balance to their life. By means of health education, awareness, accountability and allowing them to see that they too can sometimes stand in their own way to achieving their goals.

Other than training/knowledge, what do you think is most helpful for succeeding in your field?

For me to achieve my endeavors in healthcare, I found that staying true to myself was the most helpful throughout my nursing career. School prepares you for the role you want to play, but the working world turns you into who you want to be.
Outside of my training/ knowledge, I had to develop discernment, learn how to alter my communication skills based on an individual’s comprehension level. Not everyone receives information the same, and if you don’t learn or know that in healthcare. It could be your demise. I had to establish ways to make sure my clients could understand what I was trying to convey, to maximize their quality of life. Using medical terms and jargon is not going to help with anyone who can’t understand what you are saying. Sometimes it would take a simple smile to ease the tension, or a straight-forward “I will be here with you throughout the process” was all it took to foster a patient- client relationship.
So, to answer the question, actively listening, effective communication, and personality has helped me to succeed in healthcare. Recognizing my strengths and fostering my weakness has taken me far.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

One story stands out to me. I was in my undergraduate clinical rotation and was assigned a client that was label a frequent flyer (someone who frequents the emergency room for unmanage health problems). The client had been diagnosed with Diabetes Type 1 as a teenager.
Long story short, I had taken the necessary time with the client, their family and discovered that the client was illiterate. The client couldn’t identify with what any medical professionals had been telling her because neither could she comprehend, she didn’t understand.
After that realization, my mental focus shifted. I knew what the client needed, and I knew how to help her understand in order for her to maximize the quality of her life. I printed pictures and illustration of materials that would help the client. I obtained coloring books related to her illness to get the client involved in her care. I showed the client new ways to manage her diagnosis and not return to the emergency because she was unaware of what a carbohydrate was and how they look.
That one experience shaped how I treat my clients, and to focus more on making sure the client has a clear understanding of what I am trying to convey.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.haywoodmedical.life
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/haywoodmedical/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/haywoodmedical/