Nurse Turned Educator

By: Lauren Perrodin

There is no shame in changing your mind about your career. It’s easy to look at your situation, shrug your shoulders and believe that everything is good enough. Instead, you could be pursuing a lifelong career that makes you excited to go to work.

That’s what Jennifer “Buffy” Murphy did, and her life changed for the better after pursuing her dream job.

When Buffy was a junior in college pursuing a career as a pediatric nurse, she was interning at a hospital in a children’s cancer ward. While at the hospital, she found that teaching children was where her true calling was.

“I saw these kids come to life,” said Buffy. “They forgot about being sick and attached to tubes. That’s when I realized I really wanted to be a teacher.”

She pivoted from nursing and changed her focus to a teaching degree at Walden University.

Buffy used her talent for getting to know her kids as an individual first in nursing and transferred these talents to the classroom. Now, she caters to students’ interests and encourages them to develop the skills they may be working through with a mentor at school, while playing to their strengths in other subjects.

Buffy kept an open mind while exploring the different parts of nursing during her internship which led her to teach. Let’s take a closer look at what Buffy did to find her passion job.

Changing careers is no small feat, but the outcome of Buffy changing hers has now changed the future of many young people. The important parts of her journey involved:

Taking a look at the world around her, the path she was on, and whether she could actually see herself being happy there.
She then changed majors completely and worked toward a teaching degree.
Buffy wanted to make an impact on the No Child Left Behind Act to ensure every student got the attention they needed in the classroom to advance in the next grade.

When you consider a dream job, imagine a sense of happiness and fulfillment in your role. What image comes to mind?

For Buffy, job fulfillment meant the chance to offer the dedication and focus she would have used in nursing and instead put it toward her students. Now, she can use these skills to help young learners succeed in class with individualized teaching.

Imagine the job satisfaction and excitement you will feel as you wake up each morning. As you use your gifts to their fullest potential, you'll realize that your passion gives you energy instead of draining you.

But, how do you get there from where you are now?

If you’re like Buffy and want to dive deeper into education, explore our Education professional certificates and credentials. These courses will give you the right tools to foster a nourishing environment for children, while shaping your leadership skills and expertise.