We are the supporters of possible: From Nurse to Clinical Educator

Most weeks, you can find Sara Spencer on the road traveling to care settings and hospitals working alongside customers and educating them on the BD Alaris^TM Infusion System.

As a former Emergency Department nurse for close to a decade, she will celebrate her 1-year-anniversary with BD this summer – and after joining BD she has never looked back.

“This has been a great career decision. BD is such a good company and I’ve never felt more supported or invested than in the past year. The emphasis on growth mindset and continual learning is amazing,” said Sara.

Born and Raised in Louisiana

Sara still lives in a small parish near New Orleans, Louisiana which makes for great fishing with her husband. She earned her nursing degree and master’s degree in business from Louisiana State University.

When she considers who inspired her career decision for nursing, she points quickly to her aunt and her mom.

“My aunt, who is retired now, was the Chief Nursing Officer in an ambulatory surgery center, and my mom was the director.  I grew up in and around the hospital, so I got to see and hear about nurses and what they do. After earning my degree, we all worked at the same hospital together,” said Sara.

“Although I went on to become a nurse, I knew that eventually I’d wanted to do something more – perhaps something in an administrative role or in the medical device field. After I left the Emergency Department, I worked as a clinical educator for the hospital system’s outpatient clinics, which is where I was first introduced to clinical education.”

A Career Pivot and Reassurance in the Solution

Sara appreciates that while she may not be bedside in providing care to patients, her work is still making a significant impact on healthcare professionals and patients, which is rewarding.

“I no longer get to hold the hand of a patient like I used to do, but I help with their outcomes by making sure nurses are using the BD Alaris^TM Infusion System properly, which ultimately results in better patient care and less stress on the nurse,” noted Sara. “I receive so many complements from customers who use the BD Alaris^TM Infusion System. Actually, one of my best friends has a medical condition that requires her to use BD’s infusion pump monthly and she always sends me a picture of it in use – which is very fulfilling knowing someone close to me appreciates the device.”

Growth Mindset and Keep Pushing Yourself

One of the aspects of BD Sara admires the most is the strong emphasis on continual learning and development.

“I remember within my first few months of being here, I had a conversation with my leader, and she was asking, ‘OK, so we hired you to be a clinical educator, but what do you want to do the next 5 or 10 years at BD?’ I was astonished because I’ve never had an employer put such attention on my learning and development. But it makes sense because when you make yourself better, you make BD better,” concluded Sara.