When I kicked off my cross-country listening tour in my van last week, I did so with the sole purpose of meeting as many clinical professionals as possible. I wanted to sit and listen to their stories and experiences, and get a better understanding of how we can make CareRev better for the nurses, certified nursing assistants, and technicians who use our platform every day. What I wasn’t expecting was to hear so many stories of entrepreneurship, resilience, and independence before I even left California.
“Health and wealth” was a common refrain among the clinical professionals I met with in Los Angeles, the first stop on my trip across the country. The professionals who joined me for lunch shared a common passion for healthcare and a collective frustration with the financial side of nursing. Nursing school ensures we’re prepared to care for those in need, but it doesn’t give us the tools and resources we need to flourish financially.
Alain, for example, is a full-time certified nursing assistant at a local hospital in Los Angeles who’s currently working on earning his nursing degree. Alain faced personal challenges last year that hampered his ability to finish the classes he needed, pushing his studies back. Today, Alain is picking up extra shifts with CareRev to help pay for his education.
Heather, a full-time registered nurse in a local emergency department, is also working on furthering her education. Formerly a social worker, Heather is currently earning an MSN. She told me CareRev is the best professional platform she’s used – and she’s used many of them. CareRev, she said, allows her the flexibility she needs for her hectic schedule – between her full-time shifts and her courses, Heather is able to pick up extra shifts that work for her, and help pay for her degree.
I also met Michael, a registered nurse who’s using CareRev full time. Michael was working as a staff nurse at a local emergency department last year when he received an urgent phone call from his family in Mexico. His grandparents, who live in an isolated mountain town, had contracted COVID-19 and were in desperate need of medical help. Michael left his job, packed his bags, and hopped the next flight to Mexico, where he spent the next several weeks rehabilitating his grandparents. When he returned, Michael decided he needed a change: he wanted the flexibility to continue pursuing his passion, on his own terms. That’s when he began picking up shifts with CareRev.
“CareRev has changed the trajectory of my plans.” Michael told me. “I wanted to understand health by being a nurse. But it’s really about health and wealth, and CareRev has given me the wealth part.”
Clinical professionals like Heather, Alain, and Michael want more control over their careers. They want flexibility in their schedules and the ability to work whenever they want, for whomever they want. This is why we started CareRev, to provide nurses, certified nursing assistants, and technicians with a platform built to provide those professional freedoms, to allow them to be more entrepreneurial, and to help them gain more of the personal and financial independence they desire.
I know there are countless stories like those I had the honor of hearing in LA. I can't wait to get to know and learn from clinical professionals at my next stop in Seattle.
