For nearly five decades, Veronica Jean, MSN,RN,MSPH,FCN,NC has dedicated her life to serving others through nursing, education, and lifelong learning. Her career has taken her from the bedside as an LPN and RN to nursing education, public health, faith community nursing, and, most recently, becoming a Certified Nurse Coach through the International Nurse Coach Association (INCA).
In this personal reflection, she shares how retirement from nursing education became the beginning of an unexpected new chapter. Through honesty, humility, and a willingness to continue learning, she discovered that nurse coaching is more than a new career path—it is a transformative way of partnering with others to support lasting health and healing. Whether you are considering nurse coaching or simply exploring what comes next in your nursing journey, her story offers encouragement, insight, and inspiration.
As a Retired Nurse Educator becoming a Nurse Coach, I asked myself, “How did I get here?” I began to reflect on my career journey. I have been a nurse since 1978 (almost 48 years!).
Practicing nursing for that long is hard for me to imagine, but it shows how I truly love the nursing profession. I worked at the bedside for nearly twenty-four years, three years as a home health nurse, and then for twenty-one years as a nurse educator. The greatest part of my nursing career has been in intensive care. On July 31, 2024, I decided to retire from nursing education.
Now what? That was the big question for a nurse who has dedicated herself to this profession. Being a nurse has been the best years of my life, and I was not ready to retire my nursing license. I searched the internet and made LinkedIn connections. I received emails from the Nursing Network and became intrigued with the idea of becoming a Nurse Coach.
I wrestled with the idea of taking a Nurse Coaching course for four months. My confidence was so high that I believed I could coach without any additional education. After all, I have been a nurse for 40-plus years with multiple degrees. I embraced my spiritual connection for guidance. My final decision was based on my belief that everything worthwhile deserves full preparation. Well, I registered and discovered a whole new world of nursing.
What a culture shock! I thought I knew how to coach, but I was in for a rude awakening. The focus of Nurse Coaching is on empowering and guiding the client towards their own health goals and solutions without suggesting or telling them what to do.
Why not allow people to build on the knowledge and wisdom they already possess, offering guidance and education when needed? Nurse Coaches trust that clients are the experts in their own lives and healing journeys. At the same time, if a client’s plan appears unsafe or could place their well-being at risk, we have the nursing knowledge and professional responsibility to encourage them to seek guidance from their healthcare provider or other qualified healthcare professionals. Nurse Coaches honor client autonomy while maintaining professional and ethical standards and support meaningful, sustainable change.
The client and Nurse Coach co-create a safe environment in which the client can feel comfortable sharing their story. The skills practiced as a Nurse Coach include creating a safe space, deep listening, communicating with empowering open-ended questions, identifying “ah-ha” moments, collaborating to set health goals, among many others.
How do you educate a nurse educator who has been in that role for so many years to shift gears and view the nursing process from a completely different angle? The nursing process was linear throughout my entire career. Now I have learned that the nursing process is not linear when coaching. The client determines the direction of the coaching session. The course prepared me with skills that I was unaware existed in nursing. What if I had placed a shingle out there saying I am a Nurse Coach without this valuable training? I am so grateful for my decision to join the program. The journey was an eye-opening experience.
Becoming a Nurse Coach also allowed me to do a deep dive into myself. I now understand what I lacked in my own personal affairs. The course introduced me to self-reflection and centering practices. I experienced several “ah-ha” moments of my own.
All nurses would benefit from enrolling in a Nurse Coaching program to increase self-awareness and self-evaluation. Even if you decide you do not want to do this as an entrepreneur, the self-development journey will improve your life personally and professionally. Nurses can build capacity to deal with burnout, compassion fatigue, and other issues. Becoming a Nurse Coach helped me to pause, refresh, think, and give myself grace. Ross and colleagues (2018) confirmed my experience through a survey of Nurse Coaches (n=164). They reported that since becoming certified as a Nurse Coach, they have noticed improvements in their personal relationships, health, health behaviors, and job satisfaction.
Becoming a Nurse Coach is one of the best decisions I have made in my career. It is a specialty unique to nursing and can significantly impact the clients we serve.
Ross A, Brooks AT, Yang L, Touchton-Leonard K, Raju S, Bevans M. Results of a national survey of certified nurse coaches with implications for advanced practice nurses. J Am Assoc Nurse Pract. 2018 May;30(5):251-261. doi: 10.1097/JXX.0000000000000041. PMID: 29757841.
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