MEN WI N HEALTH HealthLinksSC.com | 41 Offer three adjectives to describe your journey to becoming the health leader you are today. Three adjectives that come to mind include perseverance, flexibility and adaptability. I am always learning, growing and challenged to be a better provider. Describe one routine or good habit that has helped you navigate a specific challenge in your career. When navigating a career in health care you must always be prepared for constant change. Having good habits has helped me reduce the times I have felt burned out. Exercise and sleep help me to be mentally clear and face challenges that arise daily. My spiritual life also keeps me grounded and allows me to reflect on handling challenges when they arise. What is one obstacle that you hope future women in health care never have to face? Sometimes obstacles create perseverance and are not always a terrible thing. Has there ever been a time when being a woman in health care offered a distinct advantage? There is increasing evidence that being a female health care provider has lasting impact. More women are choosing careers in science. Early on in my career, as a bedside registered nurse, I worked alongside so many fantastic female physicians and nurse practitioners. Seeing women pursue and excel in careers in health care gave me the courage to take on the extra responsibility as a nurse practitioner to guide patients in health care choices, complications and acute and chronic illness. Describe a moment when you knew you were in the right career in the right place. I am not sure I can pick just one. If anything, being in health care takes you out of your comfort zone. Many times, I have been caring for patients in difficult and vulnerable health conditions. In those moments, I consider it a privilege to provide exceptional care for someone. Please share advice you would give, as a mentor, to women new to the health field. Speak up always. Do not shy away from new opportunities. Always be willing to learn and grow. What is your favorite way to recharge, engage in self-care or prevent burnout? Spend time with family, take vacations, exercise and spend time focused on my business in aesthetics. How do you envision your practice in the next 10 years? It is so hard to say. I never thought I would leave critical care, and, since then, I have provided primary care in the home, palliative care, hospice care and acute and geriatric care to adults in rehab and skilled nursing facilities. My focus is now on the clinic setting. I believe in proactive and preventive care. Briefly discuss one common misconception about your profession that you would like to refute. That we think we are doctors. We do not think that at all. We are an asset to health care, our patients and to the colleagues we work alongside of. I have a great amount of respect for anyone in health care, and our patients need all of us. If you could give only one piece of advice to your patients in regard to their health, what would it be? Be proactive in your own health care, know your medications, know what they do and why you are on them. If you do not know or understand what is going on with you, then ask for a better explanation. Melanie Scianna, MSN, APRN, AGACNP-BC SC HOUSE CALLS schousecalls.com askmypt.com Photo by Jenn Cady.
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