We recently connected with Briana Scott and have shared our conversation below.

Briana , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. How’s you first get into your field – what was your first job in this field?

I actually started working towards my nursing career in 2010 at Albany State University but due to distractions and being unable to get into the program as a freshman, I decided to change my major to biology sciences. My goal in life at the time was to become a laboratory chemist and I landed a job at Pfizer immediately after graduation. After being there for a few months, I realized that being a lab chemist was not the best fit for me. I was secluded for 10 hours a day, 5 days a week in a lab with no social interaction and watched a machine do the work for me as I troubleshooted any issues. So while at work, I began apply for nursing schools. I was accepted to both Samford University and University of Alabama. I chose Samford University.

I graduated from Samford University in 2015 and immediately started applying for jobs. But the only issue was that I hadn’t yet passed my NCLEX exam which is a state licensing exam for registered nurses. I had my test date set which I included on my nursing resumes. I applied to several specialities from Med-Surg (medical surgical) to ICU (intensive care unit) to women’s health. I landed a position in Internal Med-Surg and I was super elated. Since I had a start date set for my new position, I prepared diligently for my NCLEX exam. I went into the exam nervous but confident in what I knew. After the exam, I ended up feeling defeated and just knew that I failed. A week later, I realized that ultimately, I did fail. I was overwhelmed with emotions. How was I supposed to tell my soon to be manager that I failed the NCLEX? He would for sure let my position go and think that I was not competent enough to work on his unit.
So I built up some courage and called him that Monday morning with the unforutnate news. He causally said “Oh, no worries Briana. Retake your exam and I will hold your position for you.” Due to the hospitals regulations, I had to go through interviews again but I already knew I had the job. I then changed my entire studying routine, set my NCLEX date and completed my exam within an hour. I left the testing center feeling confident and knowing I passed my exam. A week later on New Year morning of 2020, I looked at my NCLEX test results and I passed my exam! I cried like a baby. I couldn’t believe it! I was actually a registered nurse. Officially, Nurse Bri Scott.

About three weeks later, I started my position as an Internal Med-Surg nurse. Orientation on the unit started off slow and steady as each week I grew to handling 4 to 5 patients alone. I felt confident as a new nurse and was ready to work independently. Working as a Med-Surg nurse was definitely hard work but I was learning so much and really felt happy about my career choice. But that was until the COVID pandemic hit a month after I started. This was the point that I questioned if I had chose the right career path.

Our unit immediately turned from a Med-Surg unit into a full COVID unit. We had to wear gowns and N-95 mask with each patient and supplies was running low. I was more scared because I was still fairly a new nurse and at that point, we were dealing with a virus that no one had ever dealt with before.I wondered if I would return to work if the hospital was not able to provide the proper PPE needed to do my job. The hospital was in total chaos.

But through it all, it helped me grow into the nurse I am today. I am an experienced, compassionate, observant, strong advocator, confident, educated and powerful nurse. After conquering COVID, I felt like I could do anything as a nurse! My abilities were limitless. So I stayed for time on the COVID/Med-Surg unit and then decided to transfer over into women’s health. I am currently working as a travel NICU (neonatal intensive care unit) nurse and this new experience is definitely amazing.

Briana , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am a NICU (neonatal intensive care) travel registered nurse. My hometown is Lithonia, GA. I currently use my social media platforms to influence and guide future nurses into the nursing industry while also sharing my personal journey as a nurse. For further inspiration, I sell nursing accessories and when available, I provide counseling to inspiring nurses. This guidance includes finding the perfect nursing program and preparing them for NCLEX post graduation. I provide these services because they were not easily accessible to me when I started my search for nursing programs and preparation for NCLEX after graduation. Student disability and other resources were not easily accessible to me while in nursing school which made it very difficult for me. Especially, as a black student at a predominately white university. I felt I had to work a little harder than my classmates to graduate from my nursing program.

As an African American woman and nurse, I want to inspire and help guide inspiring nurses. We need more representation in the healthcare field for the black and minority communities as a whole.

As Nurse Bri Scott, I am most proud of the impact I have made so far on my followers and those that have met me personally. I love to hear how much I have inspired and helped inspiring nurses reach their goals. I love to hear that I have inspired someone to keep going, to pursue their dreams and that they are smart enough. It really solidifies my purpose in life.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

Providing consistent and transparent content and products, I believe helped me build my reputation within my market. I make it a point to share my personal life but to also stay focused on what my purpose is. People are drawn to transparency. Everyone loves to feel as if they are not the only one experiencing a certain situation. I think it would be an unjust to only share the positive areas of my journey and to never share my downfalls. My downfalls are what made me the nurse I am today. We learn the most from our mistakes. So it’s important to share that.

If you could go back, would you choose the same profession, specialty, etc.?

I would most definitely choose nursing again. Nursing embraces autonomy and freedom as an individual. The nursing field is limitless and provides you with a flexible lifestyle. You could go from working bedside to owning an entire business as a registered nurse. Definitely one of my best decisions.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.nursebriscott.com
• Instagram: Nursebriscott
• Facebook: Nursebriscott
• Youtube: Nursebriscott
• Other: Etsy: Nursebriscott