Mickie Dye

I attribute my success to stubbornness, honestly. When they told me I couldn't be a firefighter, I said, oh yes I can. I just get ideas about things I want to do, and I go full out to try and accomplish it. I'm very motivated by what I want to do and accomplishing it, and doing it well. My family has been incredibly important too. My ex-husband was a very good father and we were able to cooperate really well with the kids, which allowed me to take chances in my career knowing my children were with somebody who loved and cared for them. My current husband has been wonderful as well. I've been married to him for many years now, and he's definitely been supportive. My parents were also very encouraging and gave me the foundation to be a forever learner and to keep pushing forward.

The best career advice I've ever received is to keep your empathy and keep your education up. And if you ever get to where you don't love what you're doing, stop. Because you're not doing anybody any good, not yourself or your patient. Empathy is absolutely crucial in medical work. You have to be able to feel what people are going through and provide that compassion. But you also need to maintain your knowledge and stay proficient in your field because people's lives depend on us. And if you've lost your passion for the work, it's time to step back, because without that passion and love for what you do, you can't give patients what they need.

If you ever get tired of what you're doing, change what you're doing. Keep your empathy. That's so important in this field. You have to be able to connect with your patients and feel compassion for what they're going through. Make sure you are knowledgeable in your field and able to practice it proficiently and professionally. Take the time to have knowledge of the important work we do, because people's lives depend on us. You need to know what you're doing and be able to bring it up immediately without having to go research anything. Show up, be there, and be good at what you do. And remember, nursing and medical work in general is physically and mentally very taxing, and at times emotionally too, especially if you have empathy. So you have to do self-care. If you don't take care of yourself, you're going to burn out and you won't be able to give to other people because you'll have nothing left to give.

For firefighters and paramedics, one of the biggest challenges is being a woman. When I joined the Dallas Fire Department, I was one of the first women there, and the acceptance of women in the job was a real challenge. The sheer physical part of the job can wear you out too, along with the hours. In nursing, especially floor nursing, it's very physically demanding and mentally demanding. It's really for younger people because it takes so much out of you. One challenge I see in the SANE field specifically is that it's very difficult to get SANE nurses. It's a field that a lot of nurses don't really want to go into, especially since we do children. We see a lot of trauma as first responders, and the emotional toll can be significant. You have to be able to handle vicarious trauma and leave work at work, which isn't always easy. But the opportunity is in being able to make a real difference. We try to be the first step in healing for patients, helping them realize it's not their fault and connecting them with ongoing support.

Empathy is definitely the most important value to me, both in work and in life. I've always had plenty of empathy. My sister and I were laughing about how when my dad took her hunting and shot a rabbit, she started crying asking why he did that. We both have that deep sense of empathy. In my work, I feel a little bit about what people and animals and everything feel, or I imagine that I'm feeling it. The other crucial value is being good, proficient, and knowledgeable about what you do. You need to know what you're doing and be able to practice it proficiently and professionally. People's lives depend on us, so you have to take the time to have knowledge of the important work we do and be able to bring it up immediately. Show up, be there, and be good at what you do. Those two things together, empathy and knowledge, are what make the difference in being able to truly help people.