You won’t believe the “birdbrain” this nurse had to deal with on the job!

This feature is brought to you in partnership with Interim HealthCare. 
Have you ever thought about leaving the bedside…for the boardroom? In partnership with Interim HealthCare, we’re talking to nurses across the country who have done just that! Here, Lynette Helling shares about her jump into business ownership, the advice she’ll never forget and her wild “only in nursing story” that you won’t believe!

Name: Lynette Helling

Franchise location: Interim HealthCare, Lincoln, Nebraska

What type of nurse are you? Registered nurse

Where did you work before starting your franchise, and for how long? I began my nursing career as a RN in a burn center and worked there for three years. I worked 12-hour shifts and supplemented my time and income with staffing shifts from a local staffing company. 

When and why did you choose to leave bedside nursing and start a franchise? Three years into my nursing career, I saw a classified in the newspaper for a new staffing/home care company new in town (Interim HealthCare). I always had a need to know if the patients that I cared for in the hospital comprehended the bedside teaching we performed and wondered if they were compliant and doing well in their home life. I placed an application with Interim for added supplemental income and became very interested in the company. I was offered the Director of HealthCare Services position and accepted. Ten years later the Lincoln Franchise territory became available and my husband and I purchased the franchise. 

What’s the most rewarding part of your job? Providing services to people in my community that allow them to remain in their homes and live independently. Also to be able to provide jobs/paychecks for many caregivers in my community.

What’s the best part of being a business owner? The ability to have variety. I have learned so much over the past several years and no two days are alike. I am able to put on a clinical hat one day and the next I can put on a payroll or billing hat. The ability to see and support all aspects of the business truly puts it all into perspective, and the ability to appreciate all that goes into the daily operations in order for it to succeed. Also to appreciate everyone and their roles and what they contribute to the success of the company. 

What’s the funniest thing anyone’s ever said to you on the job?  Too many to count! Many years ago in the office, the phone was ringing off the hook and a client service representative answered the phone, “Interim Hair Care, can you help me?”

Can you share an “only in nursing!” story from your own career with us? In my early years with Interim, I was on-call and had a start of care late evening to insert an IV and administer an antibiotic. I prepared my sterile field and was just inserting the needle when a pet bird landed on my arm! All I could think of was, “Please, bird, do not mess on my sterile field!” When I was done and went to hang the antibiotic, I found no IV pole and looked all over the house, found a floor lamp and used it as an IV pole.

If you could have dinner with any nurse–real or fictional, living or not–who would it be and why? I am happy to have dinner with my current nursing team. They truly make a difference each and every day in many lives. I can’t think of anyone more special!

What’s one moment from your nursing career that you’ll never forget–either inspiring or humorous? I remember when we were contemplating the purchase of the Interim HealthCare franchise, walking away from a stable nursing job at the hospital and the fear of the unknown ahead of me in a specialty area that I had not even practiced. I often talked to my parents. My father (now a retired farmer) said, “Don’t look back. Remember if it was easy, everyone would do it.” I will never forget that advice and have shared that inspiration with many. (Thanks, Dad!)

Interim HealthCare® provides the flexible assignments you need to fit your life and your priorities. As America’s leading provider of home care, hospice and healthcare staffing, chances are, we have the right assignment to fit your life’s needs as well as the resources and opportunities to help you with your career. To apply online, visit www.careersbyweb.com. To find out more about becoming a franchisee, visit www.interimfranchising.com. To like us on Facebook, click here.