When I was in high school, planning and thinking about the future, all I knew was that I wanted to make a difference in people’s lives. With a mom as an RN, and a dad as a firefighter/EMT, healthcare was the easiest choice for me. I started touring and applying to different colleges for nursing, biology, pre-med—anything that could give me that transition into healthcare. I was accepted into pharmacy school at the same college that my older brother also attended. It was close to home, it was familiar, it was a smaller campus (just like my high school), and it was healthcare—what could go wrong? I was on the track that I wanted, and I was following in well-known footsteps.

I started my freshman year, and quickly felt like I was in high school all over again. I was living the life I thought I was supposed to be living; I was working the same on-campus job that my brother had worked, living in the same dorm he had lived in, eating at the same cafeteria I had been to countless times before. Nothing felt new, exciting, or motivating. I was going through the motions to get to my dream of a rewarding career, just to realize how little patient interaction pharmacists have. Truth be told - this was not the way I had pictured my first year of college going or what I had envisioned my future to look like. What I had expected was to make my way through college, graduate, find a fulfilling job in pharmacy and begin my life. Instead, I was finding that the path
I thought was it for me, wasn’t.

I started doing some research on different majors, just to come across sonography. Suddenly, there was thisfeeling of immediate excitement, a desire to find out what that could be like. The excitement quickly turned to fear. This meant I had to transfer colleges and break the news to my family that I wasn’t happy. More than that, it meant breaking the path that I had already put myself on. As terrifying as it was, I knew I needed to make a change for my future.

Fast forward, I transfer schools and fall in love with Ultrasound. I complete classes, finish clinicals, and pass my boards to earn my credentials. I graduate in May and start my first “big girl” job in June. I did it, I reached my goals.

I started my career as a staff Sonographer and I was right, I loved it. It was incredibly rewarding. I was making connections with my patients, I was getting recognition from leaders and managers, and I felt like I was truly making a difference in not just my patients’ lives, but in my department, and in my community as well. My managers noticed my success and trusted me to precept our students. I knew firsthand how difficult clinical rotations could be, and I loved being able to help them through the nerves, teach them the tricks that I had learned, and share my love for ultrasound with them. Within the first two years of scanning, I became a Lead Sonographer.

I became a Lead at 23 years old. My hard work paid off! I had confidence and I had a routine that felt easy. I enjoyed that feeling for a while before I got scared. What do I work for now? I just achieved what I thought I would at 40 years old. Do I stay here for the rest of my career? Is this… it? I wanted more. I needed more. Within the same month, I applied to a Master's program for Healthcare Administration.

I started my Master's program, moved 12 hours away from home, started a new job, and brought home an 8-week-old puppy all within a six-month period. Why? I don’t know. Was it easy? No. Did I have moments of doubt and regret? Everyday. Did I struggle? Of course.

Fast forward 3 years later. I completed my Masters, became Lead Sonographer and cemented myself as an integral part of my practice and even more so in the Women’s Health division. I did it. I became the person I looked up to as a student. I had everything I wanted. But after a few more months, I was in a slump, again.

These recurring slumps made me feel confused, unsatisfied, and frustrated, but I couldn’t articulate why. This is when I was not so subtly reminded that I now have my Master's degree and was not using it.

I began exploring different avenues I could use my masters. Did I want to teach? Did I want to manage? Did I want to go back to school and get another degree? A PhD? Did I want to make the jump to administration? I began uncovering all these different paths I could take that I had no idea were options. While exploring, a job opportunity presented itself: Women’s Health Ultrasound Supervisor. This was right up my current alley, so I sent my resume, didn’t think too much about it and moved on.

About two weeks later, I received information about an interview. Then a second round of interviews. Was I really in the running for this new position? Could I really become a supervisor? I was excited. I was scared. I was hopeful. I was terrified. I got the position.

Now, here I am, at 27 years old, somewhere I never even imagined I could be. I am transitioning from a clinical to an administrative role and stepping into a new world. People tend to assume patient-centered care stops in administration or manager positions. This could not be more wrong. Patient care is a complex web that relies on everyone in the organization to truly care, to show empathy, and understanding. Being in a management role means not losing sight of that fact and keeping yourself humble I am learning. I am making mistakes. I am making new connections and forming new relationships. I am uncomfortable, but I am growing.

Looking back and reflecting on the start of my career, I recognize a common theme. Whenever I felt stuck, or questioned my career path, I was too comfortable. I chose the college that was all too familiar. At my first job at the community hospital, I maneuvered my way into a comfortable routine that stopped challenging me in the way I didn’t know I needed. I outgrew my hometown without even realizing it. However, what I do realize now is that when I felt proud, accomplished, or I had overcome something that made me uncomfortable is when I grew the most. I am no longer the same person I was just three short years ago. I long for challenge. I crave relationships with people who challenge themselves, challenge me to keep growing and reaching for more. We all need to be a little more uncomfortable in this life. I would never have been able to grow, if I stayed comfortable.

For those of you who question where Ultrasound can take you, the answer is anywhere. Never stop learning. Do not be afraid of taking risks that make you uncomfortable. Reach out to people in different parts of your organization to learn new information that is unfamiliar to you. Create meaningful relationships with people who you can learn from and people who challenge you. And lastly, I’ll leave you with the best piece of advice I have ever been given by someone very special to me: Growth and comfort cannot coexist. True learning and change happen outside of your comfort zone. If you stay comfortable, you will never know what you can do, who you can be, or what difference you can make. So, go make yourself uncomfortable and discover opportunities you didn’t know were there, become the person you didn’t know you could be, and reach for opportunities you never imagined could be real.