For nine years, Connie Rockett worked in hospice care and as a visiting nurse, often offering her expertise to families with loved ones in the final stages of life. But it wasn't until she lost her son to cancer that she decided to make a career change.
"I knew I had to go back to work, but I needed to do something that felt good," she said. "I liked working one-on-one with clients and seeing the total health picture, so I became a wellness nurse."
Rockett, RN, BSN, MSN, took a job with Peak Health, a wellness company headquartered in Wilson, N.C. Georgia is one of 27 states where Peak Health provides services to corporations, including BB&T Bank. She is one of four nurses in the Atlanta area who serve employees at various BB&T institutions, working to provide health education, wellness screenings and other programs to help keep employees healthy.
"It's like each employee has their own personal nurse, because I see the same employees," she said. "We do blood-pressure checks, coach them about how to improve their health, start and maintain an exercise or weight-loss program and help them achieve good health habits."
Rockett began her nursing career 17 years ago, first in medical surgery, then in neonatal intensive care and pediatrics. Even in those early days she worked in hospice care.
"I found that hospice is the most holistic approach to nursing, because you deal with the physical, psychological and spiritual parts of people's lives," she said. "Wellness nursing is very similar in that regard."
Rockett maintains a home office and spends much of her time on the road, calling on clients east of Atlanta, from Gainesville to Milledgeville. Her work is scheduled by the headquarters office in Wilson, and she completes written reports about each client.
"My car and my home are my office, and it's important to be a self-starter and very organized as a wellness nurse," she said. "You need to be detail-oriented and be able to function independently, being able to make good nursing decisions."
She also refers some cases to physicians.
The typical pay for full-time wellness nurses is lower than that of nurses who work at hospitals; the average starting salary is in the $40,000s.
"It may not pay as well as some other areas of health care, but there are many other benefits," Rockett said. "I'm helping people stay well and make good health choices; that's very positive. And, working with a bank, I have weekends and all the bank holidays off."