Hilton Head Reporter

Hilton Head Island nurse shares story of finding her passion as "second career"

 It’s not every day that a newly divorced mom of two who owned several restaurants and had to move back in with her parents goes back to school.

But at the age of 40, Robin Cifaldi said she had her 'aha' moment.

“I remember sitting in that bed, thinking that if Julia Child at 50 years old could do it, why can’t I do it? So sure enough, [I] got online at USCB and registered for a course,” Robin Cifaldi said. Registered Nurse.

Cifaldi is an RN at Hilton Head Regional; she qualifies for the term "second-career nurse," which refers to individuals who switch careers into nursing.

For Robin, that meant leaving the food and beverage industry.

Hilton Head Regional Chief Nursing Officer Christina Brzezinski said second-career nurses bring a different level of skills to the table.

“They know what it’s like to come to a job on time and be prepared, [and] that’s not always the case [for] someone who maybe’s never worked before or still lives with their parents," Brzezinski said. "I think it’s that level of maturity that they’re able to provide and also they left another career. They know what it’s like and the grass isn’t always greener, so when they come into nursing they are just more realistic."

Christina hired Robin, and she said she had known that Robin was special.

“Most nurses have a story of why they became a nurse," Brzezinski said. "Every single second-career nurse has a story."

Robin’s story started with taking care of both her mother and grandmother during their illnesses.

She found a passion for caregiving that drove her to take classes at the University of South Carolina Beaufort campus. She was the oldest in her class, but she knew she had something to offer.

Original source can be found here