Women's Health: NYU School of Nursing Faculty Member and Coach Farah Laurent Shares Her Mission to Empower Nurses
“I am not your average Nurse, and I hope to disrupt the nursing world by shattering old school narratives.” Today’s woman dreamer, Farah Laurent, is a motivated and passionate nursing professional with 16 years of Emergency nursing, nursing education and leadership experience. An adjunct faculty member at NYU School of Nursing and Founder of Farah Laurent International Nurse Coach LLC, she is on a mission to empower nurses in their careers. In this Women Who Win interview, she shares her journey from the Ivory Coast to Canada, gets candid on the common stresses that nurses face, and shares her advice. Enjoy!
1. Tell us your story. You are on the faculty of the NYU School of Nursing, and have had extensive experience in nursing and nursing education. What inspired you to pursue a career in healthcare/nursing?
I am not your average Nurse, and I hope to disrupt the nursing world by shattering old school narratives. I am a dynamic energetic speaker, writer, educator, trainer, linkedln show host, mom of 2, doctoral candidate who loves seafood and the beach! I am more specifically a nurse career coach that empowers nurses to land their dream position by gaining the confidence they need for their interviews in less than 90 days! I am 6 time board certified in the areas of leadership, emergency medicine, patient experience and education. I have always had a fighter spirit since I was a child. My family immigrated from Ivory Coast to Canada when I was 9. Like many can relate, my parents sacrificed a comfortable life to risk for a better life and create greater opportunities for the family. I experienced some bullying through my elementary years due to my language barrier, adjusting to a new culture and quickly learned how to advocate for myself. From a young age, I was self-motivated, creative, persistent, and driven to succeed.
I knew that I had an interest in the healthcare field but was weighing other non-traditional options such as photography and a dance choreographer. I quickly concluded in high school that I was better suited for a Nursing career. I had a natural healer instinct, loved to help people, and loved to meet new people. After watching the popular TV show: Trauma: Life in the ER, I was hooked, I knew that I wanted to be an Emergency Nurse! I was so inspired by their strength, resilience, and ability to stay calm under any and every emergency. Nursing school was a challenging time in my life; however, it came with some great experiences. Strong friendships were formed, and a support system was taking shape. Nursing students have a bond like no other. One defining moment for me in nursing school was when a clinical instructor laughed at me and told me that I would never be an Emergency Nurse because I was too unorganized. Those words fueled my passion and drive and thought to myself, “watch me lady!” In my last clinical rotation in the Emergency Department, I was offered a position as a Nurse before I even graduated or took my licensing exam! I was determined to be one of the most badass Emergency Nurses around!
I certainly achieved many accolades and certifications in Nursing. I went on to become a trauma instructor, worked in various emergency departments as a travel nurse both in Canada and in the USA. After receiving my master’s in education, I surprisingly struggled to land an education for almost 2 years. Once I realized there was no room for advancement and realized it was due to unfair employment practices, I took my talents to another organization. Not only did I land a clinical educator position at a NYU hospital, I also was offered the role of Adjunct faculty at NYU at the same time. I always kept my faith and continued with persistence. Things may not happen when you want them, but God has his own timing, and it was time for me. I went from a Nursing manager telling me that I did not have enough “soft skills” to become an educator to then becoming the Director of Education. It was no easy feat for me to obtain such career advancement in such a short time, because I faced discrimination and unfair employment practices.
After reaching one of biggest professional goals as the Director of Education, I was ecstatic. However, little did I know, but this joy ride soon came to a screeching halt. I was laid off from my position with no warning and in about 1 minute’s time on June 20th 2022. One would think that I would instantly burst into tears and be super upset. But no, I felt empowered. I had such a strong powerful energy fill me up and I walked out with pride, holding my head up high. I had faith that I would be ok, in fact better than ok. I felt a sense of freedom and relief.It was in that moment I realized I had done all I could do there, and it was my time to move on. God was pushing me in another direction where I could make a greater impact! I had such comfort in that conviction. It was time to focus on my business. Oh yea, I forgot to mention while I was working full time as the Director of Nursing, going to school for my Doctorate and raising 2 little ones, I had also managed to open up my own business in 2021. On June 21 2021, I became the proud founder of Farah Laurent International Nurse Coach.
This is why I have committed myself to helping other nurses succeed in their careers.. I am making an impact in the nursing world, shattering old nursing narratives and empowering nurses to pursue their dreams! I provide top notch career guidance and consultations for all nurses looking to level up their careers. Most of my clients happen to be new nurses who need support, reassurance, confidence and clear direction about next steps after nursing school. Many of them are told that they can’t pursue certain specialties in nursing and I am here to tell them they can do whatever their heart desires! It is possible and Nurses should not settle for less! In fact, Nurses to ask for more! Not only do I focus on the technical things such as how to craft a winning resume, cover letter and how to slay your interview, it goes much deeper than that. There is an actual transformation that happens with my clients and I see it in terms of confidence. Their perception starts to change, their mindset becomes more positive, they become more fierce and ultimately unstoppable! The language starts to change into more affirming language, instead of that doubtful rhetoric.
2. What are some of the key issues you see nurses face in their daily work these days? And how do you aim to address these in your courses/your work?
Key issues that nurses face in their daily work is multi factorial and complex. The new nurses feel that nursing school does not fully prepare them to enter the nursing workforce and they face a lot of pressure in terms of expectation to perform at a high level. Many new nurses struggle with confidence, feeling nervous and a feeling of “am I good enough?”
Some feel that nursing school prepares them to pass the NCLEX which is the licensing exam, however they feel a bit lost when it comes to apply the knowledge they have learned in the real nursing world. Nothing truly prepares a new nurse for the realities and complexities of healthcare until they have their own experiences. Some new nurses are uncertain of what area of nursing to pursue and are fearful of choosing the wrong specialty.
For these novice nurses I provide clarity in terms of career direction, guidance, support and reassurance. I offer 1-1 coaching sessions that are based on zoom where we discuss different topics that they may be concerned about and any areas of improvement that we have to address. The common tread is that most nurses lack the confidence they need and clarity to pursue their dream positions. Some new nurses may have also been fed old narratives that have to debunked.
It all truly starts with mindset and diving deep to see what it is what they really want and getting them to realize that anything is attainable! As a nurse career coach I expand their viewpoint as to the infinite opportunities available in nursing. I reassure them by letting them know that no decision is permanent, they can navigate their career path. The biggest thing that I do is empower them to make decision and act on their dreams.
I encourage all nurses to join Linkedln and set up a profile. I help my clients create profiles as well. Nurses should attend networking events both online and in person for career opportunities and advancement. Joining various nursing organizations is important such as the American Nurses Association or specific specialty organizations.
For the more experience and expert nurses, the issues can vary from feeling unfulfilled, underpaid, underappreciated, overworked, bored, stuck or feeling exhausted. Some nurses simply want a change but are not sure what to do next. They also may feel fearful leaving familiar territory and jumping into something totally foreign to them. Some nurses are in toxic work environments and just are quite sure how make the move to another area in nursing. I do not have time to get into but staffing ratios is a big concern in terms of safety for nurses. I believe that many toxic work environments are due to poor leadership and some organizations just not listening to what nurses want. For these experienced nurses I typically start off with a 1-1 clarity coaching call where I can really do a needs assessment and listen to what their needs are. Most of the time they know what they want but are afraid to commit to a decision because of the uncertainty it brings. Again, we work on mindset and creating a strategic plan to how they will plan their next moves to get them closer to their dream life! Nurses need to start asking for more and ask for more flexible schedules to suit their lifestyles. This is why I encourage many nurses to start their own business!
As a new nurse I regret not having more mentors. I highly encourage every nurse to have multiple mentors. Mentorship is important. Another area that you can consider is hiring a Nurse Career Coach like me to help guide you along your nursing journey step by step. Making the investment in a nurse career coach will save you time, anxiety and will help facilitate the job search process so you can get hired faster.
3. What is your advice to women interested in pursuing nursing?
My advice for anyone interested in pursuing nursing is to go for it because it is truly the best profession in the world. Take it seriously and focus on your purpose and values. Nursing is so versatile that you can take you skills anywhere in the world and be able to transition into various roles over your career span. There are over 100 different nursing roles! How do I know because I literally listed them out on my LinkedIn live show “The Nursing Dose with Farah” which streams on YouTube, Linkeldn, Twitter and Facebook. Nursing can take you placed you never thought possible! I know nurses who worked at private events, celebrities, concerts, cruise ships and even at the Bronx Zoo!
4. You are also writing a book, and are passionate about self-empowerment. Tell us more about your upcoming book?
I am writing a book for nurses on how to start your own nursing business by getting over your own self-limiting beliefs. Whether it is starting a coaching, consulting, freelance writing or legal nursing business, this book with cover key concepts that are needed to develop a nurse’s mindset into an entrepreneur mindset. It will have the do’s and don’ts.
Traditionally nursing has been seen as a noble profession where we serve the sick, which is true. However, the nursing role has expanded, and healthcare has evolved tremendously and it time for nurses to know that is ok to step into nontraditional roles. I want to normalize nurses making money and asking for more money. Nurses are highly skilled creative problem solvers who are empathic and connect well with others which makes it a great combination for business. Of course, not every nurse would make a great business owner, however I want to empower those nurses who are committed to starting their own side hustle.
The book will have a few other nurses who have started with own business who will share highlights of their stories. I will share my own personal story through nursing and entrepreneurship. The book will have actional steps to get you moving into action and realizing you dream of starting your own business. The book will be available late summer, so look out for it and check out my website for more details to follow Nursefarah.com.
5. You are certainly a busy woman. How do you relax and unwind after a long day?
I am certainly grateful for everything. I love to write, especially gratitude journaling had helped me. I love listening to music, that is probably one of the easiest and quickest way to unwind. There is research that supports that journaling and listening to music can reduce your stress. I know because self-care and stress reduction strategies in nurses is my doctoral project which will be completed this winter! I love to travel, or watch shows about travelling. I enjoy photography. Other popular stress reducing strategies are walking out in nature, having a drink, aromatherapy, deep tissue massage and sleep! Lastly, I love to laugh, so I enjoy stand-up comedy or anything is fun!