Kim Klein: Nursing Student to OR – What have I done?

When Kim Klein was a nurse’s aide and decided to go back to school to be an RN, she didn’t realize how much different it would be. She quickly learned that being a new grad, moving straight into the OR, would prove very difficult. She left the OR after a year, only to find out that her LTC job did not give her the support that a new nurse needed. There was a question that she asked herself – am I doing the right thing by being a nurse? Kim ended up back in the OR as a circulator. Kim experienced, first hand, what it means for nurses to eat their young. She also had to deal with surgeons that didn’t trust her as a new person to the team. Kim decided that she would turn that around by mentoring the new nurses that came into the OR and reminding them that they were doing a good job – something that she says nurses don’t hear enough.

Kim dealt with some physical symptoms from her burnout and turned to functional medicine when she couldn’t get answers from her conventional healthcare team. That experience led her to work on her Functional Medicine certification. She now hopes to help others get answers through her knowledge of functional medicine and experience as a resilient nurse.

Tips for Nurses

1. What is your Why? What steps can you take to get to the point that makes you happy?
2. If you start to notice the signs of burnout, take a step back, and take care of yourself.
3. Stick in there, but stick up for yourself. Don’t let people walk all over you.

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About Kim Klein
Kim Klein, a Certified Sleep Coach, Certified Stress Management Coach, Registered Nurse, Alternative Medicine Provider, and soon to be Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Practitioner (FDN-P). I have had the opportunity to coach and mentor others for a vast majority of my 18 years in the healthcare industry and look forward to working at a deeper level to serve others’ health and well-being as an FDN-P.
After personally suffering from and overcoming Stage 3 HPA Dysfunction, Chronic Fatigue, and Insomnia, I have decided to hang up my surgery nurse hat and set out on a new mission to help other healthcare providers suffering from fatigue and sleep issues. My program focuses on working together to explore the underlying causes of your symptoms to help you overcome fatigue and sleep disturbances to restore your health for optimal lifestyle functioning where you can live a fuller, healthier, and happier life. 

• For more information, e-mail: support@healthcoachkimk.com
• Schedule Your Free 30 Minute Consult

• (00:00) – Welcome to Don’t Eat Your Young
• (00:24) – Kim Klein
• (01:59) – Kim’s Nursing Journey
• (03:00) – Starting in the OR
• (07:02) – Set Up for Failure
• (11:49) – Supporting Each Other
• (16:37) – Advice for Those Debating Leaving
• (18:50) – What Kim Is Doing Now
• (23:18) – Where to Find Her
• (26:03) – Last Tip
• (26:57) – Wrapping Up