I Never Dreamed of Being a Nurse- But I Was Always Meant to Be One

Laura Barrett, MBA, BSN, RN

Unlike some of my peers, I didn’t grow up dreaming of becoming a nurse. In fact, I dreamed of something very different—I wanted to be a nun.
From a young age, I felt a deep calling to serve others, and I believed that calling would be fulfilled through my Catholic faith. Right after high school, I entered the convent and enrolled in a small Catholic college on scholarship. Every school break, I returned to the convent. I wasn’t just exploring a path—I was living it.

But after two and a half years, the mother superior called me into her office and gently told me something that would change the course of my life: they didn’t believe I was called to be a nun. I was devastated. I stayed to finish the semester, but without the scholarship, I had to leave the college. I found myself lost, directionless, and heartbroken.

I walked into a local community college, trying to make sense of the credits I had earned and the future I hadn’t planned for. The closest path that aligned with my desire to serve others—was nursing.

So, I became a nurse.
Not because it was a dream. Because it was a doorway.

From Trauma to Teaching – I began my career in the emergency room, diving headfirst into trauma and critical care. Oddly enough, I felt at home there. Chaos didn’t scare me, it motivated me. I moved from trauma to critical care, then orthopedics, neurology, and even brain surgery. I loved the pace, the intensity, and most of all, the impact.

When I became a mother, I sought something with a bit more balance. I tried case management, home health, and legal nurse consulting. But I’m someone who thrives on doing, on leading. That’s when I returned to inpatient nursing education.

From Bedside to Backend: The Unexpected IT Nurse – As a staff nurse educator, I found myself at the forefront of a major transition: the move from paper to a unified electronic health record (EHR). IT wasn’t something I ever imagined myself doing—but we were the ones expected to teach and therefore teach and implement the system. I leaned in. I learned fast. I found myself navigating technical conversions and, more importantly, guiding people through acceptance of change.

What I really became skilled at wasn’t technology, it was communication, engagement, and empathy. I learned how to earn “buy-in” from reluctant physicians, reduce stigma around change, and help people see the big picture.

Eventually, I relocated from Florida to Maryland and returned to inpatient nursing education—this time at a smaller Johns Hopkins community hospital. Coincidentally, they were also preparing to implement the same EHR system I had just helped roll out in Florida. This time, I wasn’t just a participant, I was a leader. I worked with the chief physicians and staff in the operating rooms, anesthesia, ambulatory centers, and the senior administrative leadership team. I managed teams of clinicians and IT professionals. It was hard. It was exhausting. And it didn’t always feel like nursing.

But I kept reminding myself—and my team—that we were improving care for every patient who walked through the doors of Johns Hopkins Health System. That mattered.

Nurse Laura is a member of  Americans for Safe Access on their Clinical Advisory Board.

And Then Came Cannabis – So how did I become a cannabis nurse?

Let’s just say, once again, it wasn’t what I expected. I didn’t use cannabis. I didn’t even support it. When I was first invited to help a group secure a medical grow license and open a facility, I said no.

But then I said yes.

Over the next decade, I worked nearly every role in a vertically integrated cannabis business—compliance, operations, marketing, business development. Just like at Hopkins, I found that my real job was once again reducing stigma, engaging people, and shifting perspectives. I took care not to provide medical advice while providing education. I was selling just cannabis, I was giving people hope and understanding.

Eventually, the company grew and as is common in the cannabis world, I was phased out. I had a choice: return to Hopkins or stay in cannabis. The decision took five minutes.

I chose cannabis.

Full Circle: Back to the Bedside, in a New Way – Since 2019, I’ve worked independently as a cannabis nurse educator and consultant. Every day, I get to help patients navigate treatment options, support healthcare professionals in learning about medical cannabis, and educate communities still wrapped in stigma.

I am a member of the American Cannabis Nurses Association, Cannabis Nurses Network and Americans for Safe Access Clinical Advisory Board.

I am currently collaborating and working with Holistic Caring & The Green Nurse to promote and share their education materials because of my passion to educate all nurses and other healthcare professions, on the importance of supporting our endocannabinoid system with lifestyle and plants. We endeavor to bring plant medicine into traditional healthcare models and nursing schools world-wide. Action steps here include the courage to get in front of legislators, healthcare and health insurance leaders to share information on the value of plant medicine to heal people. I am also a big fan of Bloom Hemp CBD and take their products myself. Bloom Hemp CBD is a trusted choice for both myself and the patients I educate, coach, and guide. Their products are USDA Organic Hemp and meet stringent standards for quality, GMP compliance, and accurate labeling. I confidently recommend them to my patients, as they go above and beyond by offering a free nurse line and personalized care plans via email. Their genuine commitment to supporting patients and providers shines through in everything they do.

I’m not a drug dealer.
I’m a hope provider.

And while I may not have dreamed of being a nurse, I now understand that every twist in my journey—from the convent to the ER to the grow room—was preparing me to become exactly the kind of nurse I am today.

My full BIO can be found here and I was a guest on The Green Nurse Podcast sharing my story of becoming a cannabis nurse.

Nurse Laura recommends Bloom Hemp CBD!