[RN2W] 5: Interview with Shannon Goldrick MSN RN, Senior Manager – Partnerships and Campaigns, MedicalVisual
Leaving the bedside can be scary, but it also can pay huge dividends in quality of life and finding your passion for nursing again. So says nurse writer Shannon Goldrick MSN RN in this great interview that covers topics like why nurses can excel at creating both patient- and clinician-facing content, what the demand for nurse writers is really like in the medical app community, and what it’s like to work from Belgium!
About Shannon Goldrick MSN RN: Shannon Goldrick is a registered nurse with a passion for global health and preventative health initiatives. Her work experience includes working in a neurosurgical intensive care unit at a level I trauma center in New York State (and more recently- the COVID-19 intensive care units). Over the last two years, Shannon has transitioned to working full time for the company MedicalVisual, a digital heart-health platform and trusted resource for cardiovascular disease and diabetes information.
Shannon received her baccalaureate degree in nursing from the University of Connecticut @ Storrs and her MSN with a specialization in nursing education at Sacred Heart University. She is an avid traveler, loves spending time in the great outdoors, and is THRILLED to have some downtime to enjoy life now that she has completed her masters degree.
Host Elizabeth Hanes BSN RN built a six-figure writing business in her spare time. Today, she coaches other nurses how to become freelance writers through the RN2writer project.
Topics discussed in this episode
Here’s what Shannon and I chatted about:
- How Shannon discovered nurse writing as a career option [04:07]
- Proof any nurse can start writing on the side, no matter how cram-packed their schedule may be [09:41]
- The legal and tax implications of working as an expat [12:59]
- What is the demand for nurse writers in the app community? [18:00]
- What types of content can nurses write for medical apps? [18:32]
- Why nurses can excel at creating content for both patient and clinician audiences [18:53]
- Is it really possible for a nurse to be successful as a writer without any prior professional writing experience? [21:10]
- Is it disingenuous to use creative copywriting techniques to get readers to click on a headline or social media link? [21:29]
- The challenges of switching from an academic writing mindset to consumer health writing [25:28]
- How working with a medical app has reinfused Shannon’s passion for nursing [29:54]
- Shannon’s advice for getting started as a nurse writer [33:01]
Quotable
“I was working night shift, I was in school, and I was [writing] as a side gig.” ~ Shannon Goldrick MSN RN
“You definitely should check in with a lawyer, because if you’re in a country [working as a writer] for a certain amount of time, you definitely have to pay the taxes there.” ~Shannon Goldrick MSN RN
“There are so many medical apps out there that need nurse writers. If you think about it, we’re the ones educating patients, families, other clinicians, so why not translate that knowledge into writing?” ~Shannon Goldrick MSN RN
“Someone in – let’s just say – marketing, they don’t have that experience and background to know exactly what a patient might understand versus a clinician.” ~Shannon Goldrick MSN RN
“I have learned most of this on the job. I’ve had a few great mentors that have guided me through.” ~Shannon Goldrick MSN RN
“I do find that some nurses are hesitant to use copywriting techniques – calls to action, for example – but we can’t help those patients or those professionals if we never get them to come to our content.” ~ Elizabeth Hanes BSN RN
“This type of work has made me so passionate about my career again. I’m not going to lie: I was a bit burnt out after working in the COVID units, and this allows me to go out there and tackle global health issues and disparities in a different way than what I’m used to – and on a large scale.” ~Shannon Goldrick MSN RN
“My quality of life has improved a ton by making this career change [to writing]. ~Shannon Goldrick MSN RN
Resources mentioned in this episode
CardioVisual: https://cardiovisual.com/
CardioVisual on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cardiovisual/?hl=en
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