Oh, hey there! My name is Emily and yeah, I’m here on Earth doing this thing called life, just like you. If you’re reading this, then something about me caught your eye—which was probably thewords Cannabis Nurse. Let me give you the low-down about me and what led me to become passionate about using cannabis to heal the body and manage disease.
First and foremost, I am a mother of 1 teen, 1 tween, 1 gaming enthusiast and 3 fur babies. They keep me busy doing ALL of the things, but I only know how to operate one way, and that’s with a full schedule. Too much spare time is too much time for me to unwind!
I’ve been a Registered Nurse for over 13 years. My professional experience ranges from Women’s Services, including Labor & Delivery, OR, ER, and ICU; home health nursing ranging from newborn– geriatric lifespan; mental health and addiction nursing; as well as nursing education and training. I’ve also worked alongside my husband owning and operating several small businesses. My hubs is a badass entrepreneur who’s taught me how to be a little riskier and take chances. His motto is always “you don’t get what you don’t ask for,” and I’ve learned to twist that phrase in my head to make it fit my circumstances regarding the chances that I want to take. So, here I am, taking a chance, by starting a new journey as a cannabis nurse!
I became increasingly interested in cannabis and its medicinal properties when I was working in home health nursing and had to transition multiple patients to a hospice program to begin end of life care. Most patient’s that transitioned from home health to hospice care were diagnosed with cancer. People living with cancer, often suffer from pain and nausea, and most of my patients with a cancer diagnosis, were self-medicating with CBD and/or THC. This was an “Aha” moment in my career, and further ignited my interest in cannabis and how it can play a role in bringing physical and emotional relief to patients.
Once I dove into mental health and addiction nursing, I learned that there were many other areas where people could benefit from cannabis. I realized that people of all ages are being over-medicated with multiple medications, some which treated the same ailments and some that were prescribed to combat other ailments caused by the medications prescribed. For example, a patient that has been diagnosed with depression and on one or more antidepressants, was also prescribed a medication with a side effect of depression. Not only this, but due to the heavy medication loads prescribed by multiple physicians (also known as poly-pharmacy), I saw an increase in the potential for medication errors by the patient, as well as increased potential for unwelcome side effects due to medication interactions. I knew that cannabis, when dosed correctly, could replace some of these medications without the side effects and interactions that most were experiencing.
I hope that you’ll continue to follow me and my journey to educate you on how cannabis can heal and contribute to your health—and not just get you high.
