The Move From Sick-Care to Preventative-Care

A career change after 12 years???  Yep, it was scary! And I wasn’t sure what my game plan was going to be.  But I knew that I needed to get out of my career as an Interventional Radiology Technologist. 

I was burned out from working 50-60 hours a week, putting in 12-16 hours days just to get called back in in the middle of the night for an emergency, and spending weekends at the hospital or glued to my pager while on call.  Work-life balance was heavy on the work and light on the life. And I was beginning to feel the effects of compassion fatigue syndrome.

Working at the hospital for so many years exposed me to the negative impact that diet and lifestyle can have on overall health and wellness.  Although, I did not see much of this impact in the first 6 years of my IR career as I was working with the pediatric population. It was when I moved to the “adult world” that it was blaring in my face.  While the procedures we were performing can have a positive impact on the patient’s quality of life and even life expectancy, most patients are not making lifestyle or dietary changes to also support the impact of the procedure.  In fact, many of the patients I would have conversations with had no understanding of what a healthy diet consisted of. It was frustrating! Where is that education piece?! Unfortunately, most providers do not have the time to provide education to their patients and/or do not have adequate training/understanding themselves.

It was becoming apparent to me that I was no longer in healthcare.  I was providing sick-care. Caring for the sick, not the healthy. I saw a huge need and was ready for a big shift.  I decided that I was ready to move the focus in my career to preventative healthcare. I enrolled in classes at the Nutrition Therapy Institute in Denver, Colorado.  I completed my certification as a Nutrition Therapy Practitioner and have started my own nutrition therapy coaching practice - Bee Collective Wellness, LLC.  

I LOVE what I do!  Often clients seek help from a CNTP because they feel like they have exhausted all traditional healthcare avenues.  They are tired of feeling like shit. Or maybe they’ve had some hormonal or autoimmune changes and want to learn how to support their body with food and nutrition. I get to educate my clients on the importance of proper nutrition, bust common myths, establish a healthy relationship with food, and help them tune in to their body’s needs.  We work together on ways to reduce stress and establish healthy sleep habits. Self-care plays just as important of a role in health and wellness as nutrition! Together we overcome the challenges and celebrate the success!