My first job out of nursing school was working in Mother Baby/Postpartum/ Antepartum unit in the hospital. I quickly transitioned to Labor & Delivery where I found so much joy and passion in my career.

So, why now aesthetics as an NP? I realized that the passion and joy in Labor & Delivery was derived from 1 factor. Happiness of my patients. I loved being a part of a momentous occasion in their lives. Of course, there were the extremely sad times, but those were far and few in between and honestly a rare occurrence. The joy and happiness that radiated from my patients after giving birth and having the opportunity to witness this over and over agin is a moment in my life I will never take for granted. I loved my job as a L&D RN. I honestly knew at that time in my life that my calling was to be a midwife. So strongly that I didn’t even think of any other path.

When it was time to choose a focus during grad school, the FNP program was so competitive that they were only going to accept 3 students from our class of 30. The chances of getting in were slim and in reality that was not the path I wanted to take anyway, but why not. So I threw my application in knowing full well I was not going to be one of those 3. The midwifery track was not competitive so once I applied I was accepted. The only caveat, it had a couple year wait list. During this time, my husband was also applying to dental school. And, though he applied to all schools within 3 hours of my grad school, he threw his application out to Tufts in Boston as he thought it would be fun to be there while his cousin was there in school.

The Lords Plan

Well, the Lord always has a plan, and I can assure you it usually isn’t one you planned on, its better. At least that is how the Lord works in my life. To my greatest surprise, I was accepted into the FNP track. I cried. It was mostly tears of sadness because I knew that the Lord desired this track for me due to my families situation, but deep down it was not what I wanted. I had a burning desire to be a midwife, to assist moms birthing babies into this world. Looking back I can see exactly why that was not the plan for me.

As a mother of 2 at this point, and desiring more children, becoming a midwife is not just a career, it is a lifestyle. It is a career that you devote so much effort and energy to, outside of your normal working hours. And, at that time, I could not wait 2-3 years before starting my program because my husband was accepted into Tufts in Boston and that meant at the least we would be living in 2 different states for 1 year. What a whirlwind of emotions, but something I am forever grateful for.

As I progressed through my program, I realized that not only was I meant to be in this FNP track, but it was exactly where I was supposed to be. We did live 1 year apart during my last year of my program. I had 2 children at home, 1 in elementary school and 1 with a nanny and I was pregnant with our 3rd. I also worked sporadic nights and weekends at the local hospital in labor and delivery. Honestly, my nanny was an angel sent to assist me during this time. I would have never made it without her.

At that time, my husband was living in Boston starting his first year of dental school. He would fly home about every 6 weeks to visit, then back to Boston. We survived, and only by the grace of God will I even know how, but we did. Thinking of that time now, it’s a blur, as I’m not sure how we did it. But, I do know that it was exactly what was supposed to happen. The first year of dental school is extremely challenging. My husband spent most of his days, 5 am to 10pm commuting to and from school and studying. It would have been so difficult to try to coordinate all of that while the two of us were in our studies.

Choosing an NP career

When I graduated from NP school, I decided that I needed to step away from Women’s health and see if there were other options out there. I had 2 job offers, 1 in a OB/Gyn office and another at a correctional facility in Boston. To everyones surprise, I chose the correctional facility. And, to this day, I am so glad I did.

My mentor, an FNP who had been practicing for over 5 years, took me under her wing and taught me everything she knew. She honestly gave me the confidence that I have today to be in this field and to feel like I can do hard things. She was the best thing that happened to me and I am forever grateful for her. Of course, at the correctional facility I became the GYN lead and over the Women’s Clinic, which, naturally, I loved. After my 1.5 year stint at the correctional facility, I went on to work in Urgent Care. I was actually a MA in urgent care for years while in college before going back to grad school. So, it was a natural transition, and to this day I still moonlight in urgent care.

Why aesthetics?

So, after all this, why aesthetics? When we moved to Oregon after my husband graduated, I realized I wanted to take that leap into the aesthetics field. It had to do with my days in Labor & Delivery, believe it or not. I know, why on earth does that relate? I look at it this way. L&D patients were, for the most part, extremely happy and kind and excited for what was about to come.

When it comes to aesthetics, there are some of the same type of patients, but different reasons for this joyous experience. I realized I could be around the same happy and excited clients by providing aesthetic services. The same month we moved to Oregon, I signed up for a beginner aesthetic injector course and I’ve never looked back. I love this field and I find so much joy and accomplishment in my career. I love the clients I get to work with everyday and honestly they make my job so fun.

Opening AIYANA in Molalla, OR has been one of the greatest accomplishments. It’s a culmination of hard work, dreams, determination and the willingness to move forward even when road blocks come in the way. I am excited for the future and know it’s going to be a great one.