Naomi Childs, BSN, RN

I attribute my success to my faith and my family. My faith guides everything I do - I work as unto the Lord, and when things get frustrating or people get irritating, I remind myself that it's not about me, because if I made it about people, I would have quit a long time ago. My family has been an unwavering support system throughout my journey. When I got pregnant and had to pivot from law school career path, my mom offered to take care of my child so I could continue, and my sister was the real driving force who did all the research and legwork to help me transition to nursing school seamlessly. I was just struggling and had no clue what it was going to look like, but my sister found the school, figured out what I needed, and really helped me make that quick pivot. I've also had several people throughout my 22-year career who have been great examples of what good nurses are and who have helped me mature and grow not just as a nurse, but as a person. When I was overwhelmed and ready to leave the field, there were colleagues who guided me in new directions and helped me find where I fit. My tenacity for learning and evolving has been key - I kept trying to find the place where I loved what I did so it didn't feel like work. And my grandmother's wisdom has always stayed with me: treat people how you want to be treated, because you never know when you'll need that person.

The best career advice I ever received was that if you love what you do, you'll never work a day in your life. That really resonated with me because I kept trying to find the place in nursing where I loved what I was doing and it didn't feel like I was working. I went through several areas of nursing - oncology, pediatrics, case management - searching for where my personality and my passion were better suited. Another important piece of advice I received was to just breathe and take things one step at a time, because nursing can be so overwhelming. When I was working in oncology, I was taking the emotional toll home with me, smelling the patients at home, couldn't sleep, and was starting to develop unhealthy coping habits. Learning to separate my personal life from my work life was crucial. I tell nurses all the time now: whatever you're going through, leave it outside those doors of the hospital, and when you get back home, you pick it up and leave that hospital stuff at the hospital. If you don't learn to separate yourself, you will be overwhelmed and burned out.

I would tell someone entering this field to just love people. If you do not love people, you will not make it in nursing. If your goal is money, you're going to fail. If you're looking at it because you think it's a booming career and everybody's doing it, you're going to be miserable. True happiness in nursing comes from actually loving and caring for people, because when you do that, you will always put them first. You have to understand that when you become a nurse, people don't see you as a person anymore - you have to conduct yourself as a nurse wherever you are. I remember when I first got out of nursing school thinking, wait a minute, I can't do that because what if one of my patients' family members sees me? Nursing is not just a career, it's who you become. It's who you are. A nurse is not something you just pick up and put down - it's like a calling. You have to conduct yourself that way because people watch you. You always have to make sure that you're representing yourself as a professional, as a nurse, because it matters. You also have to learn to separate your personal life from your work. Whatever you're going through, leave it outside those doors of the hospital, and when you get back home, you pick it up and leave that hospital stuff at the hospital. If you don't learn to separate yourself, you will be overwhelmed and burned out. Just remember that nursing is a calling, not a career.

One of the biggest challenges in healthcare today is navigating the complexities of the insurance and reimbursement system. When I first started nursing, patient care was always the primary focus. Over time, I’ve seen how much of care delivery is also influenced by reimbursement structures.

Working in case management gave me a different perspective. I began to understand how important documentation and medical necessity are in determining what services can be approved. It’s not always about whether a patient needs something—we often know they do—but whether that need is clearly supported and communicated in the record. When it isn’t, services may be denied, which can be difficult for both providers and patients.

There are also broader system challenges—staffing constraints, budget considerations, and increasing patient acuity—all of which impact the day-to-day reality for nurses. These pressures can contribute to burnout and make it harder to consistently deliver the level of care we strive for.

At times, this can lead to difficult situations where patients may not receive the level of care that could benefit them most. Those experiences stay with you and reinforce how important it is to continue improving the system.

I believe there’s an opportunity for better alignment across all parts of healthcare—providers, payers, and families—so that patient outcomes remain the central focus while still working within necessary structures. My goal is to be part of that change, helping improve healthcare one nurse at a time

At the core of everything I do is my faith. I'm a firm believer in the Lord, and I work as unto the Lord so that people can see my good works but glorify the Father. That's one thing I always keep in mind - I tell myself, Naomi, it's about God, not about me, because if I make it about people, I would have quit a long time ago. I just handle everything with love - you've got to love people. My grandmother always taught me to treat people how you want to be treated, and she said you never know when you'll need that person, so I always keep that in mind. If that were me, how would I want to be treated? I hold very highly honor and respect and just compassion. When I'm caring for patients, I think, if that was my family member there, how would I treat them? I just believe that if you do good, good will come back to you. If you always treat people right and always remember that it's not about you, you really can't fail. I believe wholeheartedly that if you work as unto the Lord, when things get frustrating and people get irritating, you remember it's not about people - you keep that in mind and handle everything with love. I just got done telling a young nurse about an hour ago that you've got to remember you're working as unto the Lord, because whenever you make it about people, you will get frustrated, you will get tired, and you will act out of character. Just keep it about the Lord and handle everything with love. Love, love, love - just love people. You've got to love people.