BLOG 

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I hope you're all doing well and finding ways to give back to your community. I wanted to take a moment to introduce myself and share a little bit about my journey as a registered nurse, computer geek, and volunteer.

I've been a registered nurse for over 15 years and have had the privilege of working in a variety of settings, including the critical care and neuro ICU wards at a local hospital. However, it wasn't until I started volunteering at the Community Care Center (CCC) in Winston Salem, North Carolina in 2009 that I truly found my passion for giving back to my community.

CCC is a local non-profit free clinic that provides medical care to people who make less than 200% of the Federal Poverty Level and are not eligible for any medical insurance. I've been a patient coordinator at the clinic for the past 14 years, and it has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.

I've always believed in the importance of giving back, and CCC has given me the perfect opportunity to do so. I've volunteered for thousands of hours at the clinic, currently one day per week. In addition to my volunteer work, I've also been able to use my skills in grant-writing to help CCC secure over $400,000 in new funding.

Nursing isn't my only career though, I've also had a passion for computers and software since 1978. That lead to over 2 decades in the computer and software industry, most of it self-employed as a software developer.  I have programmed in over a dozen coding languages in the UNIX, Linux, and Windows operating systems, and once simultaneously held the highest certifications - System Engineer - available from both Microsoft and Red Hat Linux.  I own multiple computers which I have built from the CPU up and am constantly creating new software for my own use. I've been able to use those programming skills and computer networking skills to help CCC from time to time.

In semi-retirement I've taken up several new skills. I'm a FAA certified drone pilot, and I own a business called Forsyth Aerial Imaging that offers drone photography and videography services. I also do contract nursing work such as giving COVID-19 vaccinations during the pandemic and offer my nursing, grant-writing, and other services under the name Community Nursing Initiatives

I've also started to develop my skills in photo and video editing and productions. During the past 2 years I've used those skills to create 4 music videos for local bands.

I'm excited to start this Entrepreneurial Nurse blog. I want to share my volunteer experiences and how I've found satisfaction and pleasure in serving others. My hope is that by sharing my journey, I can inspire others to volunteer in their own communities and bring their own set of skills to the table to become Entrepreturnial Nurses as well.

I'm looking forward to having a conversation with all of you about giving back and making a difference in the lives of others.

Thanks for reading!

Tom Allred, RN