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Nurses Week, celebrated each May and ending on Florence Nightingale’s birthday, is a time to recognize the impact nurses make every day.
At Vivian Health, we’re marking the moment by amplifying real nurse stories highlighting how nurses are growing, pivoting, and building careers that truly fit their lives.
This is Anna Jobe, a nurse anesthetist from the mountains of North Carolina with a diverse clinical background.
Her journey wasn’t a sudden leap, but a steady progression from working as a nurse assistant to the Burn ICU and starting her nursing career in the CVSICU at Johns Hopkins each step shaping the path she’s on today.
Here is her story:
How did you start your career? What first drew you into nursing, and what was the reality like once you were in it?
My grandfather lived with our family when I was in middle school so that he could be close enough to a major academic medical center to be listed for a heart transplant. When I was 13, we got the call on Mother’s Day, and we rushed to Charlotte so that he could get a new heart. After the transplant, I noticed that he was a color of pink that I hadn’t seen in years. As a young teenager, I thought that the nurses were just the coolest people in the world. Managing 12 different drips, working to help my grandfather, Pop, walk the hallways mere hours after major open heart surgery, all while explaining what was happening at an expert level was incredibly impressive and I knew that I wanted to be a nurse from that moment.
After working my way full time through nursing school as a CNA, barista, nanny and surgical technician, I was incredibly grateful for the security and financial safety that nursing provided. The reality of being a new graduate nurse in a high acuity unit hit me hard and fast, and I found that nursing school unfortunately does not prepare new nurses to work in high acuity areas like L&D, the ER, and the ICU. I was studying on my days off, coming in early and leaving late, because I wanted to do the best job I could for my patients.
Around my one year mark, the pandemic hit. After a few months of working overtime in the covid-ECMO ICUs, I left to work crisis travel nursing assignments to help the areas that were hardest hit across the country. The reality of bedside nursing is that investing in our foundation as critical care nurses enables us to create a solid financial future, to help communities in our country and around the world, and to travel to both explore and help our patients. I couldn’t be more grateful for all of the experiences that have brought me to where I am today.
Was there a defining moment when you realized you wanted to pursue becoming a CRNA, or was it more of a gradual shift over time?
During my OB rotation in nursing school, I had an experience that changed my life. There was a stat c-section, and the pregnant patient had to be rushed into the operating room with her epidural in place to convert to a surgical delivery. There were so many things happening at the same time, the room was full of hands and voices, and I saw that the CRNA paused and took time to speak one to one with the patient. As the c-section began, the pregnant person started to vomit, and the CRNA caught it expertly with a basin and towel. After the baby was delivered, a hemorrhage began, and he started rapidly squeezing in blood products. As a nursing student, I stood in the corner in awe, and from that day, I was hooked. I knew that I wanted to comfort my patients in a 1:1 setting, especially in the world of obstetrics.
For nurses who may be considering this path, what are some of the biggest benefits of becoming a CRNA, what steps would you recommend to get started?
Getting your TIME back as a nurse anesthetist is one of the largest benefits of the anesthesia profession. Whether you want to work 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, or 24 hours, you can find shifts that fit your needs and fit your schedule. The flexibility of being able to take time away from the hospital by stacking long shifts like 16s and 24s is incredible for some people, while others will enjoy working 8 hour shifts. There’s also an entire world of possibilities as a per diem (PRN) or locums nurse anesthetist; you can negotiate working one week a month, every other week, or only three months a year. The flexibility is one of the things I appreciate most about the nurse anesthesia profession.
For anyone reading, I recommend retaking any science prerequisite courses where you scored a grade lower than a B, I’d recommend taking a high-acuity ICU job, and I’d recommend getting involved in research on your unit if possible.
Can you walk us through what your day-to-day life looks like now as a CRNA, and how that compares to your experience as an RN?
One of the things I love most about my job is the variety! Next week, for example, I have a 24 hour OB shift where I will stay in-house in a call room and do all of the epidurals and c-sections that are needed that day. Last week, I had three 13 hour shifts, where I had brain surgery for one day, colonoscopies for another day, and robotic surgeries for the third day. One thing remains the same no matter what cases I’m assigned to; I get to focus on one patient at a time.
When I worked at the bedside as a bedside and travel nurse, I often floated to many different units where I could have between 1-12 patients. While I’m grateful for the foundation I gained during my years I spent as a travel nurse, I am incredibly grateful that I now get to devote my attention to one patient at a time.
Where has Vivian played a role in your journey, and how can it help nurses, CRNAs, or other healthcare professionals find the right opportunities?
Throughout my years as a nurse anesthetist, travel nurse, and nurse anesthesia resident, I have utilized Vivian’s platform and services. Vivian is the first travel company I worked with during the pandemic, and I couldn’t be more grateful for my recruiter (Hi Roberto!) during that massive period of growth in my life. As a trainee, I continued to keep an eye on travel contracts using the nursing job board, and I also worked Per-Diem during my first year of training. Now, as a nurse anesthetist, I still utilize Aya’s platforms to examine the job market, look for the best rates, and to find contracts that may be a good fit!
Finally, what would you say to a nurse who’s feeling stuck or is thinking about going back to school to become a CRNA?
To anyone who feels stuck, I want to tell you that there is no such thing as wasted time in nursing. Anywhere you work as a nurse, whether it’s in an outpatient clinic or an inpatient ICU assignment is actively helping patients in your community. You will learn something at every single job that you hold.
One of the most influential tools you could have gained in this country is a nursing license. With a nursing license, you are NEVER stuck! Within 24 hours, you could have a job lined up across the country, with a whole new set of experiences and a whole new culture to explore. In the US, I believe that our strength lies in how varied and diverse this nation is, in both our landscape and national parks, and in our communities. I highly encourage anyone considering traveling to take the plunge!
Anna’s story is just one of many showing how nurses are growing and taking their careers to the next level and becoming “unstuck” as an RN.
This Nurses Week, we’re highlighting real nurse stories across specialties and paths, alongside exclusive content, resources, and appreciation offers built for nurses. Explore Allie’s journey HERE and Brianna’s story HERE.
Don’t forget to check out our Nurses Week discounts, freebies, and exclusives → HERE
