“Drawn” Toward Nursing: Graphic Design and Marketing Executive Karen Depew Switches Careers to Nursing

Karen Depew, 45 years old, calls herself a mountain girl; she was raised in the small town of Auberry, California between Yosemite Valley and Sierra National Forest. She got into technology at a young age and was very creative as well as tech driven. She graduated in Graphic Design from California State University Fresno and worked as a Graphic Design/Marketing Manager for fifteen years for a goods and services company, working her way into a management position. But she ultimately got tired of sitting at a desk from 8 to 5, the mundane corporate lifestyle, working so hard and giving so much time and energy just to make a sale. Who was it benefitting? She was bored, she wanted to make a difference, and she wanted something more purposeful in her life.  That is when she found the Registered Nursing program at SJVC’s Visalia campus.

What made you think you could be a good nurse?

I have that mothering and nurturing personality. I thought about nursing even when I was a kid. I always liked helping people.  It eventually became more important to me to feel like I was helping people and contributing to society.

How did you make the switch?

At first, I thought about teaching, but it wasn’t the right fit. When I decided to try nursing, I was around 38 years old. I knew I needed science pre-requisites to get a nursing degree.  I was on a condensed timeline; I knew it was a risk to make this change, and that I would have to take a few steps back to go forward. Then it took a little longer because of COVID. Now I’m 45, but it’s been a good choice and I can see it will be a great next chapter in my life.

Why did you decide to apply to SJVC?

I applied everywhere because I wanted to get in as soon as possible. I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. And SJVC was the only place that treated me like a person, not a number. When I was accepted, I was overcome with emotion, and excited that my dreams were becoming a reality. I was accepted at other places, but I chose to go to SJVC because it felt like where I was supposed to be.

What did you like the most about the Registered Nursing program?

They care about your success. They are invested in every student. This was a hard transition to go through, but it was exciting and made me believe in myself. Yes, there were several times when I doubted myself, but they provided the education and the support I needed.

What was the most challenging about the program?

It wasn’t even the work; it was giving up time with my family. I’ve been married eleven years, and we have a blended family, two boys and two girls between the ages of 15 and 19 years old. It was a sacrifice to put in the hours. You have to be 100% dedicated to the program because it takes a lot mentally, physically, and emotionally.

Tell me about your clinical time.

My clinical experience was very eye opening. Everything is very hands on. There were several times when I thought I wasn’t going to be able to do it. But the truth was I learn the best from hands on experience, and I learned to love it. Our instructors were right with us, providing guidance and telling us not to be afraid. You just have to be willing to get in there and do it.

Now that you are working as a full-time nurse, what can you tell us about the difference between what you thought nursing would be and what it really is? What surprised you about your new career you hadn’t expected?

I am in the ICU, and I love it here. But it wasn’t what I thought it was going to be. It shocked me how much of a difference we nurses make; that we can be the difference between a good and a poor outcome. I was surprised at how much the nurses drive the care. Because doctors have so many patients and are spread so thin, they can’t spend a lot of time with a patient; they’re looking more at the clinical data. Nurses are in charge of the assessment, how the patient is feeling and what’s actually going on. Doctors rely on us to be the eyes and ears; they rely on us because we see the whole picture. Sometimes people’s lives are in our hands. I realized I made a good nurse because I have so much life experience to assess a human situation.