Influencers in Lab Coats: Part 2
The amount of time lab coats have existed and served as elements of the science, medicine and healthcare industries is practically nothing when compared to the vast timeline that is human history.
Medicine, after all, predates the modern white lab coat by several millennia.
That said, the miniscule period of time in which lab coats have served as a symbol of science is much, much longer than any of our lifetimes. None of us remembers a time when lab coats did not conjure up some sort of image of intelligence and academic and scientific excellence.
Surgeons, physicians and nurses—among many others—all wield a degree of academic authority and social or behavioral influence over those they serve. The lab coats they don implore us to listen and to observe. The white lab coat, appropriately, implies influence in and of itself.
This same kind of influence exists in every facet of life from healthcare institutions to academic institutions to, of course, the online world. Online influencers are a rapidly growing group of people that are quickly becoming more popular, more common, and above all else more influential. Instagram and YouTube are two major platforms where influencers absolutely thrive, reaching an enormous follower base and sharing a connection with hundreds to thousands to even millions of people in a manner that before was simply unimaginable.
Influencers come in all contexts and in a plethora of fields and interests. Ninja is an online gamer that commands an absolutely enormous community of online gaming enthusiasts; he gained his nearly popularity through his Fortnite livestreams.
Larger-than-life celebrities such as Will Smith and Kevin Hart also reach out to an even wider fan base through more personalized and down-to-earth content that simply isn’t available through the silver screen. Will Smith’s wife Jada shares videos about their family and tackles issues from family matter to controversial current events, too.
Social media juggernauts like Kim Kardashian command a massive influence over fashion trends, beauty culture, and so much more at the ease of a tweet or Instagram post.
However, influencers exist in more than just entertainment and general lifestyle contexts. There are many, many influencers that cater to very specific and even niche audiences. Among these, we’ve found a great deal of lab coat-wearing influencers that talk about medial studies, science, and the nursing world among other things. These profiles can be helpful and downright motivating if you’re trying to decide whether or not to go into a nursing program, if you’re struggling through your undergrad, if you’re nervous about your first job as an RN—and everything in between.
We talked in another blog about influencers for MD and PA school as well as pharmacists. But the nursing world of influencers is especially rich, which is why we’re laying it out here for you today.
Influencers for students and practicing nurses
Nurse Lada
Nurse Lada is a Nurse Practitioner that proudly worked her way to a better life. As a teen mom barely getting by as a cashier at Burger King, Nurse Lada decided to take life by the horns and work day and night to ensure a better life for herself and for her baby girl. She put herself through her Licensed Practical Nurse program, worked her way through school, and refused to ever back down until reaching her goal of absolutely and completely changing her life.
An irrefutable go-getter, Nurse Lada provides motivation and inspiration for anyone doubting their ability or capacity to pursue the career of their dreams, even in tough circumstances.
Nurse Lada’s channel is full of inspirational talks and vlogs (video blogs) about how to buckle down and keep going, as well as tips and tricks of the trade both for studying and working in her field. In one of our favorite videos, she talks about her favorite lab coat and why it works so well for her given the responsibilities she has.
Nurse Liz
Nurse Liz is a Registered Nurse from California. She started schooling as an Elementary Education Major, realized it wasn’t for her, and after quite of bit of “not-for-her” epiphanies, found the accelerated nursing degree option that seemed perfect for her. Completing this degree while working at Chilli’s and later at the Cheesecake Factory, Liz successfully graduated and began working on a GI and Liver Medical and Surgery unit. She later applied to her FNP program, from which she’s since graduated as well.
Nurse Liz makes videos about her life in relation to her profession, which can be particularly eye-opening for students looking forward to (or those who are scared of) what life looks like after graduation. In a recent video we loved, Nurse Liz talks about how being a new nurse is very tough, but also about how it does get more rewarding and much easier with time.
The Nurse Nook
Alexis Nicole is a recently-graduated Registered Nurse working in a Level 1 Pediatric Trauma Center. Her channel is full of “day in the life” videos as well as health and beauty tips for nurses on a tight and tough schedule. As a recent grad, Alexis also has loads of videos about what to expect in terms of school, experiences in the Emergency Room, and more.
For example, in one recent video Alexis shares what her typical morning skin care routine looks like when having to deal with her study or work schedule. She also has a thriving Instagram account with over 50 thousand followers.
Holley Rojek
Holley is a recent Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) graduate and is now a Registered Nurse. Her channel consists of an abundance of life updates as a nursing student and later as a nurse. Holly is also a huge fitness enthusiast, and she provides a bunch of tips for exercising, staying fit, and even meal prepping on a nurse’s schedule.
Among Holley’s many tips and helpful videos are suggestions on what to do and how to study to pass your nursing school classes. Studying is a huge part of earning your degree, and knowing how to study well can absolutely make all of the difference.
Jasmine Glee
Jasmine Glee is a Registered Nurse studying and working to become a Nurse Practitioner. She was a teen mom, pregnant at 16, which has made her journey that much more valuable for those in need of a “yes I can” attitude.
Originally, Jasmine planned on joining the army as a medic and becoming an RN through that program, but although she was not single, she wasn’t married, and joining the army as an unmarried mother is difficult unless you’re willing to sign the rights to your child over to someone else. That not being an option, Jasmine went to technical school to become a medical assistant.
Jasmine and her then-husband moved to Germany, where she took some online classes to prepare for her RN. Later, after moving to Virginia, she started going to school full time. Attending school full time with two kids and only her husband’s income to live off of, her time studying was a tough two year struggle, but Jasmine buckled down and made it through, becoming an RN and continuing her studies to become a NP.
Priding herself on being determined and hardworking, Jasmine makes sure to share the full reality of her struggle with her followers. Many influencers might tell only the nice parts of their journeys, even romanticizing the path, but Jasmine makes a point of being honest, sincere, and transparent about the bad parts along with the good. Jasmine’s story is inspiring, and her love for what she does shows. Her channel is full of studying videos and tips, as well as suggestions on how to visualize your future and your goals and how to chase your dreams.
Jay Quinn
Jay is a bedside nurse who went from civilian care to military service. She talks about her experiences in this new setting and especially about how different the two can be.
The change can be jarring if you don’t know what to expect. For one, traveling becomes much more difficult. As a civilian nurse, if you want to take a vacation overseas, you simply go. When you’re a military nurse, however, the protocol involves many more steps.
More than anything, your travels have to be documented and reported, and the process of being able to leave the United States becomes much more than simply getting a passport. All these extra steps (and the virtual tracking of your location) can sound and feel uncomfortable at first, and is certainly something to take into account if you’re thinking about whether to work as a civilian or in the military.
Another perhaps unforeseen difference that Jay mentions is that being a military nurse means you’re practically constantly on call. She says that it can feel like your time is no longer yours, seeing as at any moment you might have to drop everything and report for duty.
Getting used to these differences can be difficult, but they certainly don’t make being a military nurse a bad option. Serving offers a multitude of benefits; Jay’s channel walks you through how to get used to these changes, about what you can expect when working as a military nurse, about studying in different situations, and everything in between.
iFitNurse
Jeannette is a Registered Nurse going to NP school part time, all while being a wife and a mother. Balancing family, a full time job, and school can certainly be a lot to handle, and making the decision to return to school can be difficult precisely for this reason. Jeannette provides videos with tips, tricks, and—above all else—motivation as to why chasing your dreams is more than doable.
One of the things Jeannette hammers through is the importance of scheduling. With so many things going on, it’s important to know how you’re going to handle every part of your life, and to make sure you aren’t giving any one part too much attention at the expense of another.
For instance, it’s incredibly important to give yourself distraction-free time alone to study well, but it’s just as important to make sure you have time allotted to spend time with your family and work.
Another important part of scheduling is making sure that your employer is going to allow you and support you to pursue this lifestyle. While it might seem like any employer would be open and willing to help you further your knowledge (which would ultimately help you do a better job at work), this is not always the case—especially if you’re working something temporary that you’ll gleefully leave behind when you finish school. Having a job that allows you to fit all of these things into your schedule is crucial for pulling it all off.
Being a nurse is tough, going to school is tough, and being a mother and wife is no joke. Doing all these things together might seem nearly impossible, but rest assured, Jeannette’s channel is full of resources to help you tackle every part of living this busy, fulfilling, and admittedly often chaotic lifestyle.
Why these influencers are worth following
Nursing school is not easy, and the work that comes afterwards is full of challenges, too. What the “miracle of the internet” has to offer is the opportunity to go through these challenges in the steps of someone who inspires you and clearly “gets it.”
For almost any challenge, any hardship, any test or class, and just about anything else you might have to worry about in your nursing career, these influencers are either going through or have already gone through the same or similar steps. And if they haven’t, there is probably another influencer on the platform that has.
Just like you, these influencers have either earned their white lab coat or are working arduously towards that goal. The path to wear that symbol of accomplishment and status is not easy, which is exactly why you should take advantage of every piece of advice and every example these influencers have to offer.