Dr. Jaines has been called a guardian angel by her patients, and after listening to this episode, you’ll understand why. As a start, Dr. Jaines runs us through her journey of working as a custodian in a hospital to pay her way through nursing school, to being a correctional nurse, HIV nurse, and as of May 2020, a nurse practitioner. Dr. Jaines’ job is very challenging and very rewarding, and the COVID-19 pandemic added the element of the unknown. All of this could be overwhelming but Dr. Jaines takes everything day-by-day and her positive mindset and strong support system keep her motivated. Throughout all of her experiences, Dr. Jaines has learnt so much (and is still continuously learning), and she shares some of her wisdom with us today. We discuss the importance of setting one’s ego aside and valuing other opinions, the need for development of time management skills in order to maintain a healthy work/life balance, and the reform that Dr Jaines wishes to see in the healthcare system. Dr. Jaines also stresses the fact that we should never judge a book by its cover and opens up about the humbling experience she had working with prisoners. Most importantly, Dr. Jaines says: be kind to yourself; every part of your journey is valuable and deserves to be celebrated. Dr. Jaines is inspired by her co-workers and we are inspired by her!

Key Points From This Episode:

• Why Dr. Jaines would choose invisibility as her superpower. 
• Dr. Jaines runs us through her journey of becoming a trauma/acute surgery nurse practitioner. 
• Being a custodian helped Dr. Jaines gain valuable knowledge and perspective for her current job. 
• The gap in practice that Dr. Jaines noticed in the outpatient setting and how this inspired her scholarly project.
• The COVID-19 pandemic prevented Dr. Jaines’ rapid response intervention from being implemented but the idea is strong. 
• When you are part of a team, it’s so important to keep your ego at bay and value other people’s opinions. 
• Dr. Jaines’ shares her favorite part of her job, and the part that is the most challenging. 
• The continuous learning can be overwhelming, but Dr. Jaines takes things day-by-day and asks lots of questions.
• Time management is a vital skill to learn in order to maintain a work/life balance.
• Hear about the support system that helps Dr. Jaines take her mind off work and avoid burn-out.
• The humbling, eye-opening experience of working as a correctional nurse. 
• Inspiration Dr. Jaines’ draws from the way her team dealt with the COVID-19 pandemic. 
• Dr. Jaines’ dream of healthcare reform so that the system becomes more patient centered. 
• Advice from Dr. Jaines’ mom: every day you wake up is a new beginning. 
• No matter where you are in your life, be kind to yourself and celebrate yourself. 
• The unfairness of standardized testing and how it leads to the medical profession losing out on a lot of great people. 
• Encouragement to other CareHeroes to keep up the good work!

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Baystate Medical Centre 

College of Our Lady of the Elms

Mass Live News Article

CBS Boston Article

CNN Article