“Don’t give him the insulin shot. He has to do it himself,” Julie Wagoner, BSN, RN, told the new nurse. The patient, freshly diagnosed with diabetes, was heading home in 48 hours. "If he couldn’t give his own insulin now, when would he learn?" 

These are the tiny, yet pivotal moments Wagoner has experienced over the course of her decades-long nursing career. Wagoner continues to find joy in nursing through teaching and inspiring other nurses while working in the case management department. 

This month, we caught up with Julie Wagoner—mom to Kayla Wagoner, BSN, RN, Project Manager at The Nursing Beat—for a conversation about mentorship, meaning, and what her decades in nursing have taught her.

Q: What first drew you to nursing?

Back in the 1980s, I was in high school, and every media outlet was begging for nurses. TV, radio, newspapers, everything. I was the fifth of six children, and the first to attend college, but I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do. 

I knew I liked helping people, and that’s why a lot of people went into nursing. I just knew I didn’t want to go to college with an undeclared major, so I went for it. But then the role itself really grew on me.

Q: What was your first nursing job?

My mom was a medical-surgical nurse at Community Health Network, and mom's unit was hiring. I worked the evening shift, and my mom worked days, so she would often give me report! 

I decided to start in med-surg so I could get a little bit of everything, and then I fell in love with working with the elderly population. I stuck with med-surg for 15 years, and within that time, I got married and had three children. 

Q: How did you transition into case management?

I eventually went to the resource team, where I worked for a few years, and then became a nurse manager. I was a nurse manager for 13 years, but I did miss direct patient care. 

I’d been an adjunct instructor at IU School of Nursing and loved teaching, but I didn’t want to go back for a master’s since my kids were in junior high and my focus was on them. Then I ran into a nurse I had managed, and she asked if anyone on my team was interested in a transitional care role. I said, 'What are you doing?' and she explained it. She said you work with patients who have chronic illnesses like diabetes, COPD, or heart failure, and follow them after discharge. You make sure they’re managing well, going to appointments, and understand their health conditions. Kind of like a nurse navigator. 

Eventually, they dissolved this transitional care role, and they offered those nurses care management jobs, which is what I do now as a case management nurse over the ICU and PCU.

Q: What is a career highlight for you that still stands out?

When I was a manager, we had a new graduate internship program as our hospital transitioned to Epic. 

We hired 100 new grads into our network, who were trained to become Epic superusers and teach the current nurses how to use Epic. Meanwhile, they spent the other half of their time gaining hands-on experience as new graduates under the guidance of seasoned nurse preceptors. 

It was a really fun time and took about a year to make sure every new grad got placement after the program. 

Q: Why is inspiring others to become nurses important to you?

It probably starts from having a mother as a nurse. But when my daughter wrote about how I had also influenced her to become a nurse, that was overwhelming. It’s an honor to know I’ve had that kind of impact. 

Although I’m not currently providing direct patient care, it’s rewarding to be able to influence and mentor newer nurses. It’s one of the most fulfilling parts of nursing to me now. 

Q: What does bedside nursing mean to you?

Bedside nurses are the bread and butter of healthcare. I think about the nurses on the unit that I’m working on today, and they’re relied on so heavily. By patients, by providers, by all the interdisciplinary teams. I can’t say enough great things about how much I respect bedside nurses. They make sure patients feel cared for and have successful outcomes, and that everything runs smoothly in the hospital. 

Q: How can nurses from all specialties support one another?

Healthcare encompasses so many entities, and each plays a vital role. Whether you work in the hospital, the clinic, or remotely doing something else, you’re all part of making sure the system continues. We all need to support each other with resources and flexibility and understanding to be successful. 

Final Thoughts

At this point in her career, Wagoner sees nursing as a team sport. 

“We win each time we assist another patient successfully along their healthcare journey. The most successful teams have players who trust and respect their leaders and each other!”

For nurses who have stayed in the game long enough to see rookies become all-stars, The Nursing Beat is your next play. Subscribe now!