Her Story
About Karen
Karen Bettison has been a nurse for 39 years, beginning with her associate's degree in nursing earned in 1987. She earned a bachelor's degree with a double major in Bible and nursing, pursued graduate studies in linguistics, and completed a master's degree in nursing education. Her career includes roles in medical-surgical nursing, pediatrics, home health, emergency departments, wound care, and surgical nursing, along with 19 years in West Africa from 1990 to 2009 where she served as a linguist and ran a clinic providing first aid, tropical medicine, and burn care while working with Pioneer Bible Translators. She is board-certified as both a functional medicine practitioner and a wound nurse, and she recently started her own part-time functional medicine practice while continuing part-time work as a surgical nurse. Bettison co-translated the New Testament into a West African language and authored the book I Will Fear No Evil, which addresses trauma experienced by overseas workers. She attributes her success to her faith and advises balancing career with family priorities.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Karen
01What do you attribute your success to?
I would attribute it to my faith. I feel like there's been many times when I have gone through a lot of trauma, there were a lot of really hard times, and my faith sustained me, God sustained me through it all. And so, life is hard. And for me, that has been the constant that's kept me going and given me hope.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
I always believed that you have this calling on your life, and you've got this one thing that you gotta do. And I've realized that there is no one thing, there's lots of things you can do. My calling as a believer is to be faithful to God, and to live a good life, and try to share His love with others, but I can do that in a million ways. Your passion can change over time, and that's okay. I don't call a calling a career anymore. I call it whatever God puts in your fire in your belly.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
What you do is really important but it's not more important than your family. When I started raising a family, suddenly my family became all-important to me, and the career took a back seat. For women who have to put their career on hold to raise a family, don't feel bad. Don't let anyone tell you you're less than. Nursing is such a versatile career path. There are different seasons of your life. Don't put your family on hold for your career. Your career is there to help you and give you another outlet for pouring out your giftedness and your passion, but your family also is important.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenge is that it is a very stressful career path. The work is challenging. Co-workers that are gossiping and backbiting can make your work experience very negative. The patient-to-nurse ratios are always controversial. Hospitals cut staffing or have staffing grids without considering the acuity of patients. That kind of pressure really weighs heavy on nurses everywhere.
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