Nursing Alumnae Share Path to Entrepreneurship in Lecture Series
Alumna Lisa Feierstein (B.S.’78/N), president of Active Healthcare, Inc., credits the nursing field with giving her the skills to believe in herself and take risks. Both she and alumna Carolyn McCrocklin (B.S. ‘82/N; Ph.D. ’09/N), president of American Critical Care Services, were guest speakers at the VCU School of Nursing for the first Nursing Entrepreneurs Series held earlier this month.
Feierstein shared her journey from working as a registered nurse for a number of years to starting her own home respiratory care and sleep studies business. She envisioned herself in a new role and considered who she could partner with and how they might work together to become successful.
In her lecture, Feierstein shared how she became an entrepreneur by combining her passion for making a difference with her ability to effectively communicate, motivate and collaborate. She now encourages others in the health care field to examine their own skill sets and see how they might apply those skills in different areas.
“I believe in listening to yourself and once I did, I knew I didn’t want to grow old working for someone else,” Feierstein said.
In a similar fashion, McCrocklin started her career as a critical care nurse on a cardiac unit, but was already looking ahead for three years before she founded American Critical Care Services in 1986 to specialize in staffing for health care facilities.
“My pastor says that life can sometimes exceed your dreams and that is how I now feel,” McCrocklin said.
McCrocklin’s journey to entrepreneurship began with a passion for nursing that she says was fueled by attending the VCU School of Nursing program. Her business started with just two employees and has since grown to over 1,000 staff members.
Both women agreed that they faced obstacles on the road to running their successful businesses but McCrocklin said that by keeping in touch with lawmakers and understanding changes in health care, she was able to stay on top of the growing field.
“You can get through most challenges by surrounding yourself with good people and by being involved in organizations related to your industry,” Feierstein said.
This lecture marks the first of the new VCU Nursing Entrepreneurs Series. The second lecture of the series will take place next fall.
