Dani Williamson is a relatively new nurse practitioner who works for Cool Springs Family Medicine in Franklin, Tenn., where she focuses on traditional and natural care. She graduated from Vanderbilt University's School of Nursing and is double boarded as a certified nurse midwife and family nurse practitioner. Her career journey is unique in that she decided to completely change careers in midlife from fashion to nursing. In the past, Williamson has served as a certified doula, childbirth educator and lactation specialist. In 2010, Williamson spent some time on a medical mission in earthquake-ravaged Haiti. In Williamson's blog, Diary of a New Nurse Practitioner, she describes herself as a "single mother, yoga teacher and yoga student" among other titles and discusses an array of topics related to her new profession. You can learn more about her by reading her profile on the Cool Springs Family Medicine site.

Why did you decide to pursue this career field?
Well, how I got into this was interesting because I have a master's degree in fashion design and I was working in New York. I owned a maternity clothing store for 11 years. I eventually became a childbirth educator and doula. Later, I ended up getting a divorce. The store was great and doing fabulous, but I knew I needed (a better way) to support these two children. It was two years after 9/11, and business was down the toilet. I loved being a doula and I had attended 45 births at that point. I found a nursing program at Vanderbilt and was blessed to get in. I had to take a year's worth of prerequisites. It took me a year, but I got it done and left for Vanderbilt in 2006. Sometimes I feel like I'm the only nurse practitioner with a prior degree in fashion. I feel so blessed. Most people don't get one career that they love and can't wait to get to every morning. I got to have two.

What type of preparation did you do to get into this field?
Well first there was the year of prerequisites. I did a bridge program. Normally it takes four years to earn a BSN, then you take your boards and do another one or two years to become a nurse practitioner, but they have a program at Vanderbilt called a bridge program where you can get it done in two years. It's designed for people who already have a degree in another field. It's like having a fire hose sweeping you along. It took me three years because I earned advanced degrees for both nurse midwifery and family nurse practitioners. It was full time, 12 months a year with no break or very little break time. You pass your nursing boards in about 10 or 11 months. It's a really advanced, fast program.

What types of classes and projects did you have to do?
All the basic nursing undergraduate courses and all your clinicals. You have to have anatomy and all that taken care of. Theory is an important one. Vanderbilt is a huge research school, so I had a lot of research classes. Every semester you had a research class. There were also health care administration classes. Then you transition—that's when you get into assessment classes, where you're learning how to diagnose. I was sent to Atlanta for 10 weeks learning how to deliver babies, and then I went to Fort Campbell for another 12 weeks delivering babies. I was sent to different locations. I also had to take pharmacology courses. I started out in the nurse midwifery program, and I realized that I was not going to be able to raise my kids the way I wanted to if I was going to be on call to deliver babies 24/7. That's why I applied for the family nurse practitioner program as well in the middle of the nurse midwifery program. I was accepted, which was great because there was a huge waiting list. So in a way, in my education, I got the best of both worlds.

How did your education help you in your career?
I got a great education. They really do prepare you well. It's so fast-paced. Vanderbilt is very research-oriented. They want you to stay on top of research. I can see what the current evidence is out there in patient care and treatment. Clinically they taught me well. I'm always learning, though. There's a lot you're not prepared for.

What was your career path like in this field? 
Well, I just got out (of school) last year. I did get a job immediately before I even graduated at an emergency room. They hired me with no experience and I was only there for 33 days. They felt they needed more acute care skills for the position. I agreed completely. Had that worked out, I never would have ended up where I am now, and I plan on being here until I retire. This is not at all what I learned in school. This is integrated medicine. Where I work, it's a great balance between integrated and traditional medicine.

What types of skills is someone required to have to work in your position?
You need a real open mind to learn traditional medicine and to think outside the box. You cannot have a closed mind. You must embrace Eastern medicine and Western medicine. You need to learn and constantly study nutritional deficiencies and nutritional therapies. You need to have a passion for this and skills in listening. We take time with our patients. Here it's 40 minutes for a new patient and 20 minutes for a follow-up. There's a lot of allergy testing and food sensitivity testing because so many health problems start within the gut. You really have to have a passion to learn and to treat the whole person, not just the symptoms.

What do you do on a typical workday?
It varies. Today, I have everything from diet visits, well-child visits, a Pap smear, I have a lot of hormone visits, for adrenal fatigue and things like that. Later today, I have a follow-up hormone patient and a new patient for an initial hormone visit and three well-child visits.

Do you plan to advance to another position within your career field? 
The only thing I could see me doing is going back to get my Ph.D. It would allow me to teach part time. But I absolutely love what I do and plan to do it for a long time. I want to continue to advance in integrative medicine more and more. There's a real need for what we do here.

What type of person do you think is best suited for a job in your field?
Someone with a lot of energy. Someone who is extremely curious, questions everything and loves to read all the time. I'm constantly reading journals. You also need a passion to help people.

Do you have any advice for those who are looking to launch a career in your field?
Be sure it's what you want to do. Dig deep in your soul. Don't do it for the money or because you'll always have a job. Ask yourself if you'll be perfectly happy going in every morning and doing what you do. Do some soul-searching and ask if your mission in life is to help people live the best that they can and really make the most out of their life. You have to have a passion for education too because you can't do this job without teaching patients.