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Welcome to The Bold Brief—

You are part of a community of expert nurses and healthcare professionals redefining what it means to lead with authenticity, balance, and meaningful challenge—driving forward with confidence.

We do not follow traditional career paths. We build them intentionally with strategy, systems, and clarity.

Every edition delivers practical insight, bold reframes, leadership, and career-building tools for true happiness in your life and career beyond the bedside.

New Sponsor and a Celebration. Make New Connections

Let’s get to work.

Reflect

This year marks 30 years since I completed my BSN at the University of Texas at Galveston. This year I celebrated more than 35 years working in the profession of nursing.

But in truth, the journey started even earlier as a hospital volunteer, a “candy striper” as I prepared for my nursing school prerequisites trying to get a glimpse of what it meant to be a nurse.

More than 30 years later, I still remember many firsts:

🩺 Day 1 as a hospital volunteer

💉 Day 1 of LVN training

📚 Day 1 of BSN, then MSN, then PhD

🧠 And the Day 1 of nursing school for every nurse I have ever taught or led since.

I do not have a photo on my “first day” because at age 16, personal phones and selfies did not exist (but I did find a great example below).

I remember it clearly.

I was a hospital volunteer in rural Texas, wearing a loaner candy stipe uniform and used shoes that blistered. The 80’s hair and makeup! This pic emobdies the look and hidden fear of the unknow of any first day.

A chaplain came by and invited us to the chapel service. I had no idea then that this would be the first of many “first days” in my nursing life and career. Who knew you could go to church service while volunteering. Also, I remember seeing a patient vomit 🤢 from my vantage point in the hallway. I was in awe! 😆 

No matter where we start, the heart of nursing remains rooted in medical-surgical nursing care.

Medical-surgical is the most taught specialty in nursing school, and the predominant setting where nurses begin and grow their clinical practice. Medical-surgical nursing care is rigorous, complex, and often overlooked.

This week, I am celebrating Med-Surg Nurses Week with gratitude for the people, the practice, and the profession that shaped my career and life.

I started in med-surg. I stayed in med-surg. I found the best people here.

To every nurse who remembers your own “first day”—I see you.

Happy Med-Surg Nurses Week!

AG1 is Sponsoring The Bold Brief, again!!

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Connect & Grow Your Non-Traditional Career Path

Last Week I shared a few very special connections but only to paid subscribers of Bold Brief: Insider.

Bold Brief: Insider content breaks down the steps to assess emerging companies hiring nurses, connect with valued leaders, pitch yourself into non-traditional roles, and use innovation and tech trends to refine your 2026 career strategy.

🚨Subscribe here → Upgrade for Excusive weekly content, downloads, and calls only for nurses who want tools, structure, and support without the overwhelm.

Here is a preview of last week’s Bold Brief: Insider edition

Learn How to Translate Trends Into Career Moves & Meet the People Leading the Way

I think that we can agree that Innovation Needs Nurses

Three weeks ago, I attended HLTH 2025 in Las Vegas as an official, invited “Influencer” with the chance to learn and share from the 12,000+ Attendees, 400+ Speakers, and 900+ Sponsors all whom value innovation!

I engaged with many on topics relevant to nursing, women’s health innovation, AI, and workforce transformation. Bold Brief: Insider content is for you - only.

The Bold Brief: Insider

1. Introduces you to leaders and companies that you did not know existed!

2. Teaches you about the roles that only you may be uniquely qualified for in the future of work for nurses.

3. Shares new roles and non-traditional paths for any expert nurse!

⏩Nursing & Clinical Innovation

1. Ava Bethea, Nurse innovator and founder of NursiConnect, a virtual nurse staffing company connecting virtual nurses with remote/virtual nursing opportunities. Do you know, Ava? Connect with her on LinkedIn YouTube or TikTok.

2. You know the name! Rebecca Love, Nurse innovator and founder of NurseApproved spoke about Nurses’ role as Innovators in an impactful session. She moderated the ½-day Nurse Hackathon plus a session Nurses Driving the Next Wave of Health Innovation that explored stories on fundraising, team-building, and winning over skeptics, and real talk on bias, business vs. clinical mindsets, and earning credibility in new arenas. Follow her Linkedin and follow NurseApproved!

If you connect with Ava or Rebecca, please share that I sent you!

⏩AI for Nursing Decision Support 

AI readiness is critical to all nurses in all work environments. AI has been around for >15 years but direct care nurses are just now seeing developments arrive. Nurses need to move beyond generative AI and think about how we can improve the structures, processes, and outcomes of care. This is important because a key message from HLTH was that nurses need to be included in the planning, development, decision-making and implementation sides.

Bold Brief: Insider subscribers were introduced to nurses leading the way and to 2 companies with roles for expert nurses!

⏩Virtual Nursing 

Hospitals are adopting and innovating! Several hospitals have new virtual nursing programs as a path to improve care and outcomes.

Jobs and connections only for Bold Brief: Insider subscribers.

Let the me know what is MOST interesting to you, as Bold Brief: Insider subscriber! We can add the topic to the monthly Insider Call (only for paid Subscribers) to develop your custom career strategy. 

⬇️ Down to Comment→ Share your ideas → Ask me questions.

See you Next week for Bold at the Frontline of Innovation Part 2.

P.S. If you want to learn from me on a daily basis, connect with me on LinkedIn.

💗If you find this content useful for your life, career, and happiness, please share using your custom link!

Remember that this is a dedicated space for you, the nurses at the bedside and beyond, the committed healthcare professionals ready to explore transformative career paths beyond traditional roles. Every week, we'll dig into evidence-based strategies, insights, and stories designed to empower you to take bold steps toward a fulfilling career and life outside the hospital setting.