Lessons from Calli Cook, NP, DNP, APRN, FNP-C

Educational Landscapes

Calli Cook, NP, DNP, APRN, FNP-C is the Specialty Director for the Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner program at the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing. In this episode Calli talks about her journey as a nurse, exploring various specialties (e.g., ICU, mental health) until finding that working in a neurology practice was a good fit. Calli talks about how important her experiences in various leadership roles from when she was an undergraduate student through nursing training until now as an NP educator helped her become the servant leader that she is. Her words of wisdom include "I think patience is really important. I mentioned that as soon as I graduated, I wanted to hit the ground running, being a leader, but each role prepared me for the next role. So knowing that your first leadership role is not going to be your last and it is a preparation for the next, and to be patient as you go through each of those roles, and to take something with you, and to really pause and enjoy each moment." and "Remember that it's progress, it's not perfection. It takes a life to learn how to live. It takes a career to learn how to be an excellent educator. Each step is a step to becoming a better version of yourself as an educator. So learn from your mistakes and move forward, innovate, and inspire the next generation of healthcare providers."

Resources

• English Teacher Weekly substack
• American Academy of Neurology: Neurology Resources | AAN