About/Contact

Hello everyone! My name is Salley and I am an AGACNP in a cardiac surgery ICU.  I’m originally from SC where I spent 30 years but currently live in Eastern NC.  Nursing was my second career & I did not start my first RN job until I was 28. Nursing school was very difficult for me. I already held a BS in business administration, more specifically finance and marketing where I graduated cum laude. I thought I was smart until I went to RN school. 

I worked for a large insurance company insuring chicken farmers across the US when I first graduated from college. While it was a great experience, I realized a desk job was not meant for me. I took a “break” from life and waited tables for 2 years until I decided I needed to make a different career move. I started at a local community college and finished my ADN in 2015. I quickly obtained my BSN online in 2016. 

I worked in every ICU there is. I started in a MICU in Columbia, SC that was absolutely out of control – we stayed so busy and slammed. I learned so much in the 1.5 years I was at my first job, but I was ready for a change. I started travel nursing in Greenville, SC in a neuro trauma ICU – loved it so much I stayed for 8 months. The reason I loved it was the manager. I came from a unit with a toxic manager and administrative staff. I didn’t know good managers existed. The manager in Greenville would come in early and stay late on certain days to ensure she saw and spoke with all of her staff. That went a long way with me. They trusted me so much, I was charge and on their code team. It was a hard decision, but I wanted to work at one of the top 10 hospitals in the country (at the time) and wanted a bigger challenge. My next move was a hospital in Seattle. I’m from a small country town, so Seattle was a culture shock for me. I didn’t even know what public transportation was or how to utilize it. I was in the ICU float pool (MICU, NSICU, BICU, STICU)  and boy did it almost make me quit nursing. I was informed of my assigned ICU unit at 1845 and then went to take my patients. I knew no one; I was in a different unit all the time, so I was unable to build rapport with anyone; my units or assignments changed every 4 hours. It was exhausting, mentally challenging, and made me question everything about nursing. BUT, I persevered and completed my 3 month assignment. 

I then decided it was time to “settle” down so I just picked a place and moved there – Raleigh, NC. I took a staff job in a 9 bed MICU where I was bored out of my mind. The acuity was low and I wanted more of a challenge, but I didn’t know where to go. One night in the MICU, an attending  asked “what are you doing here Salley? This unit is not challenging enough for you – you like constant critical thinking; I think you should look into a cardiac surgery unit” – so I did. I didn’t even know this type of unit existed.

I went to CVTICU in my almost 4th year of nursing – cardiac, vascular, and thoracic surgery ICU. WOW! I was introduced to a whole new world. I discovered LVADs, ECMO, Impella, IABP and so much more. I recovered heart, lung, and kidney transplant patients and learned how to operate the biggest form of “life support” available – VA ECMO. I fell in love with the critical thinking that was required, autonomy, MCS devices, and cardiac surgery in general. 

This unit at this particular hospital was the wild wild west. We were opening patients’ chests at least weekly if not more, had multiple MCS devices at once, and typically had 4-6 new cases a day.  I worked in this unit for 3 years until I went back to school for my AGACNP. At that time, I took a local travel assignment for 2 years in a CICU at a hospital in Raleigh, NC. 

I graduated with my AGACNP from Duke University in May 2023 and started working in a CVICU in Eastern NC in September 2023. I applied to 4 jobs, received interviews for 2, and obviously a job offer for one. I loved being a RN – to the point that I didn’t think I would actually like or use my NP degree. Everything was so overwhelming and foreign. I went from being a strong, hard core ICU RN to a baby NP – the adjustment was challenging. 

I’ve decided to start a blog to help current and future ICU RNs. I want to provide tips, tricks, EBP ideas and so much more. Follow along for weekly posts!