Earlier this month, I stepped into a new season as adjunct nursing faculty, and if I am honest, it has been both exciting and uncomfortable…in the best way possible. After years of leading, mentoring, and serving in nursing, walking into a clinical site from the instructor side still came with nerves. There is humbling feeling about doing something new, even when you are experienced and in familiar surroundings.

Much of my career is spent encouraging nurses, advocating for patients, and helping teams grow. I was fortunate enough to be assigned to the site of my former team. Still, this role feels different. It is more intentional. More personal. More legacy-driven.

Every clinical day, as I meet students preparing to enter one of the most demanding and rewarding professions, it reminds me that nursing is more than skills and checklists. Nursing is compassion in motion. It is critical thinking paired with humanity. It is showing up for people during some of the hardest moments of their lives.

There is also a unique responsibility in teaching future nurses because students are not just listening to what we say; they are watching how we live, lead, communicate, and care. That realization has always challenged me to truly put my words into motion. Which also prompts me to reflect and share about my own nursing school mistakes made. Confirmation came at the end of the first day in post-conference when my students shared how the staff spoke highly of me and was genuinely happy to me.

James 1:22 (NASB) tells us:

“But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not just hearers who deceive themselves.”

Over the past few years, I developed a passion for mentorship, purpose, faith, leadership, and encouraging others to walk boldly in their calling. Now, I have the opportunity to actively live that out in front of the next generation. Not perfectly, but faithfully.

And honestly, that stretches me.

There are moments where I question whether I am explaining concepts clearly enough or making the impact I hope to make. But growth rarely happens inside comfort zones. God often calls us into spaces that require dependence on Him rather than confidence in ourselves.

One scripture that has carried me during this transition is Joshua 1:9 (NASB):

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not be terrified or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

This verse is a quiet reminder that new assignments often come with unfamiliar feelings, but they also come with grace for the journey.

As I continue this path in nursing education, my prayer is simple: that students leave my presence not only better prepared clinically but also encouraged personally. Nursing needs competent professionals, but it also needs compassionate caregivers and leaders.

And since I believe in shameless plugs when purpose is attached to them, preparation for this new season came in the form of a devotional, The Sacred Shift: A Devotional Journal for Aspiring Nurses. I wrote it to encourage students and graduate nurses to keep moving forward in faith, even when stepping into unfamiliar territory feels uncomfortable. Sometimes God grows us most when He stretches us beyond what feels familiar.

This chapter is new for me, but I am grateful for it already. The role may be different, but the mission remains the same: serve, encourage, lead, and pour into others well.