Registered Nurse: Sara Dreitzler

Sara Dreitzler, R.N., M.P.H.

How did you choose your career? Was this an easy or hard process for you? If you struggled, how did you overcome these struggles?

Choosing a career is never an easy process. It's important to look at the process wholly and accept that struggling is completely normal. My career discovery process did not happen overnight. For me, the biggest struggles occurred about mid-way through my nursing program. The career offshoots of nursing are seemingly limitless, as there are many specialties within the profession itself. Considering the many career options within the nursing profession led to a lot of indecisive moments for me. I knew that I wanted to be involved in clinical nursing, but also enjoyed the research side of the medical field. I wasn't sure how to merge the two into a rewarding career path. Gradually, the idea of infectious disease nurse epidemiology evolved from a potpourri of experiences, including: my undergraduate studies, conversations with professors, clinical rotations in the hospital and community health programs, and through my own research. Personal experiences were also crucial to the process; interning and shadowing medical professionals provided a real-life perspective. I also found that stepping away from my studies during school breaks provided clarity to the daunting process. During one of my summer breaks, I opted to work at a national park in a job that didn't pertain to my undergraduate studies in any way. Yet during my leisure time at the national park I found myself drawn to books about epidemiology and infectious diseases. It was during that time that I realized that nursing epidemiology was more than an interest to me. I read voraciously that summer and came back to school with a renewed sense of my career goals.

What kind of training, both formal and informal, did you receive to prepare you for your career? If applicable, how did you select where to attend graduate school? How did you choose your postdoc? How about any additional training? How did you choose what additonal training to pursue and how did you choose where to do it?

My formal training in the Bachelor's in Science and Nursing Program at Western Michigan University consisted of a variety of learning modalities including coursework, clinical rotations in both the community and hospital setting, and laboratory work. I choose to attend the epidemiology graduate program at the University of Michigan's School of Public Health after reviewing the program components, coursework, visiting the campus, and speaking with students. The program was highly recommended, they provided a diverse selection of concentrations, required that you complete an internship, and, the clincher for me, was that I found the course content to be fascinating. One of the many advantages of attending graduate school is that you can fully explore the material that peaks your interest the most during undergraduate studies. One of the trainings from graduate school that brought about an unexpected benefit to my imminent role as a nurse epidemiologist occurred in my last semester of graduate school, when I enrolled in an elective course in disaster preparedness. The course was grassroots, as it was started and completely run by students in my epidemiology program. The class provided a real-life experience of working with international public health agencies, performing fundraising, traveling to a disaster site and providing assistance. Through that elective course, I gained insight on project coordination, utilized and fine-tuned leadership skills, conducted community assessments, and learned first-hand about international public health.

How competitive and/or rigorous was the training for your career?

Both undergraduate and graduate school was very competitive, but the competition was not so overwhelming that it deterred from my career goals. If anything, it motivated me to perform better. During nursing school, balancing the clinical rotations and class work was the biggest challenge. In graduate school, it was the rigorous course load, especially the statistics courses which involved a lot of time spent learning how to perform data analyses using statistical software programs.

In general, how much did the training cost? Was the investment worth it?

In total, the cost of school was approximately $100,000. The majority of this was covered through scholarships, student loans, and assistance from parents. The investment was well worth it. I understood that I was not entering a career known for huge salaries. During orientation to public health school, the first thing the professor told us was "If you are entering the public health profession for the money than you are in the wrong field". I suppose the fact that all of us stayed in the room meant that we were in it for the right reasons. Now, having been in the field for over eight years, nursing epidemiology has provided me with a stable, challenging, and rewarding career, driven by passion, rather than huge monetary rewards.

How long did it take you to train? Was it shorter or longer than anticipated? If you had any setbacks, how did you deal with them?

Overall I spent just over six years training for my career in a collegiate setting with four years spent in nursing school and an additional two in graduate school. I opted to attend graduate school within six months of finishing nursing school since I felt ready to utilize my nursing skills in a research-focused capacity.

What was the process like to apply for your first job after your training was over? Was it easy or difficult? How did you cope with any difficulties? Did that differ from subsequent jobs you've had?

At first, it felt quite intimidating, but the more I looked the more comfortable and exciting the process became. As I began searching for the right job, I learned to be open-minded, rather than dismissive about job postings that called out "prior professional experience" as a job requirement. Prior internships and volunteer work proved to be a real asset when I interviewed for positions that required experience. I also viewed the organization as a very important factor in the application process. I knew that I wanted to work in communicable disease epidemiology, but I was open to government and non-profit organizations. I applied to different types of organizations and learned that researching the history and structure of the company was a great way to determine if the position was a good fit. The knowledge I gained through my research was also beneficial in the interview process as it showed prospective employers that I had a sincere interest in working for the company. I began my career working in local public health and have since done some state-level public health work and now currently work as an Infection Control Practitioner for an outpatient oncology clinic. Having a varied, yet stable work history has been helpful in my career building along with providing a unique set of diverse experiences.

What advice would you give to someone interested in following a similar career path?

Explore all of your options and take advantage of the wealth of knowledge available in academia by getting to know your professors and seeking out real-life experiences through internships and volunteer work. Also, be open-minded to coursework and work opportunities that may not necessarily fit your perfect mold. While at grad school, I had the opportunity to intern for a local public health department in the Greater Detroit Area. Prior to the internship, I hadn't considered county-level public health as a possible career option. To my surprise, I fell in love with the work and spent the first four years after graduate school working at public health departments.

What would you have done differently in preparing for your career?

There are a couple of things I would have done differently. First, I wouldn't have been so hard on myself for being indecisive. Looking back, I realize that indecisiveness is just part of the process. Secondly, I would have engaged in more frequent meetings with my professors and counselors. They are an invaluable resource for students and a great way to learn about different career options.

How much do you like what you do? Why? Is it what you imagined it would be? If not, how have you adapted?

I genuinely enjoy what I do. After interning in public health and spending the first four years of my career working for local and state public health departments, I imagined that I would continue working in the public health arena for a great deal longer. When grant funding for bioterrorism and communicable disease epidemiology started to dwindle, I began exploring work as an infection control practitioner. My position at Seattle Cancer Care Alliance (SCCA) has enabled me to utilize my clinical knowledge and with SCCA's partnership with Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center; I have been able to continue on the research and epidemiology path of my career.

How do you achieve career-life balance? Is this easy or hard to do? How many hours do you typically work per week?

I typically work forty hours a week, 8:00AM–5:00PM, Monday through Friday. Working during normal business hours has been a great help in achieving a career-life balance. I have two young children and having weekends and evenings off enables me to spend quality time with my family.

What strategies have you figured out over time to help you succeed?

Some of the strategies I find to be most useful are to always challenge yourself, be flexible and open-minded, and to learn from your peers. Personally, it has also helped to work in a position with a diverse set of responsibilities. My responsibilities range from outbreak investigations to staff education to evaluating infection prevention products. Performing and managing very different tasks on a daily basis keeps me on my toes and motivates me to succeed in everything I do.

How do you see your field changing in the next 5–10 years?

In the next five to ten years, I envision patients taking on a more active role in preventing infections in the healthcare setting by talking to their providers about stopping infections through hand hygiene, flu shots, and surgical site infection prevention. Patient feedback will help to shape future infection prevention programs and provide a first-hand perspective that has not typically been in the forefront of these programs. With healthcare-acquired infections gaining more attention, in both legislation and the media, infection prevention is an ever-changing and expanding field. The change has already started with the implementation of standardized infection surveillance and disease reporting requirements. Surveillance findings will ultimately lead to more effective, evidence-based interventions. Healthcare itself is also in the midst of a paradigm shift. Procedures that, in the past, required a hospital visit are now being performed in outpatient settings. Only a few years ago, outpatient infection control was a foreign concept. Now, more healthcare centers are acknowledging its importance and are integrating outpatient facilities into infection prevention programs.