Nursing Profiles

Jim C.

Egg Harbor Township, NJ
RN, Perioperative

When I was discharged from the Marines, I didn’t have any idea where my professional life would lead. After moving from job to job, I decided to pursue a degree in business. My career led me to consumer financing. In 1991, my wife and I became parents of prematurely born twin boys. They were 15 inches long and six pounds combined. Through this experience, I had my first real look at nursing as a profession. The nurses in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit attended the needs of our children. Their caring and empathy made such an impact on me that I decided to become a nurse. I began in geriatric and psychiatric nursing and eventually moved into perioperative nursing. One of the things I enjoy about nursing is that you have the freedom to experience other specialties without changing your profession. I have been able to draw upon experiences from all of my careers: dedication and discipline I learned in the Marines; fiscal responsibility and time management from consumer finance; and, especially, caring and empathy from nursing.