We were lucky to catch up with Deanna Mackey recently and have shared our conversation below.

Deanna, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Was there an experience or lesson you learned at a previous job that’s benefited your career afterwards?

The most important lesson that I learned at a job was to always advocate for yourself and document appropriately. I discuss this topic in my self-help / autobiography book, “Nursing At Its Finest.”

The nursing field is already a challenging career in itself. It becomes even more daunting when you don’t always have the support that you think you are going to have. You feel like you’ve made it into a special “club” so to speak and that seasoned nurses will be helpful along the way. Unfortunately, that isn’t always true.

I had just finished my orientation and it was now my first official shift by myself. I had taken report from the off going seasoned nurse, and I trusted that she did everything that she was supposed to do prior to giving me report and clocking out. It was now the night shift and I was now responsible for the patients that she had.

While checking my patients’ charts, I’m noticing some inconsistencies. There were several tasks that the off going nurse didn’t do. I am now getting slightly frustrated because now I am responsible for whatever orders were not completed on her shift. These were very important orders that should have been completed STAT, and now they were left for me to do.

Thankfully, the other nurses working with me that night were very helpful. They weren’t going to allow me to plummet; they were there to assist me. During the night, that off going nurse decides to call the unit at 1am, when she had to come back in that morning at 7am. She wanted to ask how her patients were doing. I knew that this was just her guilty conscience because she knew she didn’t complete all that was necessary and wanted to check on things. She proceeded to demean my character to another nurse, which was absolutely false information.

I hadn’t planned on typing up what I experienced that night until that phone call. I knew that I had to advocate for myself and discuss this with my manager.

We had a meeting that morning about it. As frustrated as I was because that nurse continued to lie, I knew my manager truly heard me and still believed in me. He wouldn’t have hired me if he thought otherwise.

I knew from that moment on that I needed to always cover myself and speak up when necessary. I know what I have to offer and I won’t allow anyone to dim my light. Neither should you.

Deanna, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is Deanna Mackey. I have been a Registered Nurse for 9 years, with several different areas of expertise. I became interested in the medical field at a young age, while watching real life medical shows on tv.

Knowing what I already wanted to be, I got an early start in my experience. I volunteered at my local hospital in high school and was a part of the medical and science career program in my high school. This allowed us to gain more hands-on experience into a world we were much interested in.

Taking those necessary science classes prepared me for college. I applied and was accepted into another program for science and medical majors the summer prior to my freshman year of college.

All of these opportunities and more, helped set the tone for my future in ultimately becoming a Registered Nurse.

I discuss my journey in my self-help /autobiography book, “Nursing At Its Finest.” My book is available where all books are sold.

Becoming a nurse and my ongoing interest in health, has intrigued me in broadening my skills. This is what grasped my interest in becoming a Licensed Finance Specialist. We live our daily lives not always being prepared for what is to come; those topics we don’t always like to discuss.

I became a Licensed Finance Specialist to not only learn better ways to invest in myself, but also to help others financially. That means having a plan in place for our family when our time on this earth comes to an end. I now help individuals with obtaining life insurance, amongst other important financial decisions.

I know my purpose is to help individuals and that is why I chose the career paths that I am currently in.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

While at my first college, I was wait-listed twice after applying to the nursing program. I knew that I needed to graduate on time. I was attending an out of state college and couldn’t afford to be there any longer than necessary.

I ultimately made the decision to switch majors so that I could graduate on time. I still completed my prerequisites for nursing school, took on a full course load my senior year, graduated with honors and was accepted into another nursing program.

Although it wasn’t my initial plan, I had to adjust to my circumstances. Everything is not always going to workout the way that you initially plan it to be; there are going to be roadblocks. It’s ultimately how you overcome those roadblocks and push through to the finish line.

Life is a journey that we all have to navigate accordingly.

Do you think you’d choose a different profession or specialty if you were starting now?

I would most definitely choose the same profession. I believe our lives are already written, and this was always my path. This was the chosen path for me.

Although this field can be stressful at times, as most jobs, it truly is a blessing. It is so important to be educated about your health. It has been such a grateful experience to be an impact on so many lives, as well as them impacting mine as well.

This career field has allowed me to experience so much and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Contact Info:

• Website: queenofhealthdeanna.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/queenofhealthdeanna?igshid=bira2pefta2p
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100071187045325
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deanna-mackey-bsn-rn-1269651b9
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/queenofhealthdm?t=AeaeD_ai1byv78CwUIH6IQ&s=09

Image Credits
Lauren Collins – photographer