Navigating Career Transitions: From Chemist to Behavioral Health Nurse With Tess Muhammad

How Life's Transitions Lead to Personal Fulfillment and Professional Growth

Navigating through multiple career paths is a journey many professionals undergo. Tess Muhammad's story is no different. Starting her career as a chemist, Tess found her true calling in the field of nursing, specifically in mental health. In an enlightening conversation with Dr. Christopher Lewis on the "Victors in Grad School" podcast, Tess details her shift from chemistry to nursing, the challenges she faced, and the lessons learned along the way.

The First Transition: From Chemist to Nurse

Tess's shift from chemistry to nursing wasn't a decision made lightly. Although she enjoyed her career as a chemist, her passion for mental health grew from personal experiences with depression. In her quest for better mental health, Tess explored complementary therapies like Reiki, energy work, and traditional pharmacological treatments. This exploration guided her to nurture a deeper understanding of the human mind and its intricacies.

"Although I worked as a chemist, that was my career. My interest was actually really deeply into mental health. For personal reasons dealing with some mental health issues myself with depression and seeking out help and I did seek sought out help both ways." — Tess Muhammad

This profound interest sparked a career transition in her late thirties. Despite a secure position as a chemist, Tess enrolled in an accelerated nursing program at Oakland University. It was a leap driven by the desire to contribute to the world in a more fulfilling way.

From Working Nurse to Nursing Graduate Student

Building a career in inpatient behavioral health, Tess gained experience across various roles over a decade. However, the desire to delve deeper propelled her to pursue higher education. Encouraged by her peers and psychiatrists she worked with, she decided to attain her Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree.

"A lot of prompts from my peers. The psychiatrists that I work with just plugging it in my ear, planting the seed. You know what? I think that you would be really good if you became a practitioner and you actually are in that role." — Tess Muhammad

Facing the crossroads of choosing a graduate program, Tess initially enrolled at Wayne State University. However, the pandemic and personal loss made her reconsider her options. The need for a more flexible, supportive environment brought her to the University of Michigan, Flint.

Navigating Graduate School Transitions

Enrolling in a graduate program is a formidable challenge. Tess's experience was no different. The shift from Wayne State to the University of Michigan, Flint brought its own set of hurdles. The transition highlighted the importance of balancing health, work, and studies.

"A lot of being able to manage at U of M Flint has to do with doing things for myself first in terms of health and mental health, and then everything follows afterward." — Tess Muhammad

Tess emphasizes the necessity of maintaining one's health—physical, mental, and emotional—while undertaking graduate studies. She advocates for keeping a balanced life, incorporating regular exercise and personal time amidst academic rigors.

Applying Academic Learning to Professional Practice

The knowledge gained in graduate school isn't just theoretical for Tess. She finds immense value in applying her educational experiences to her professional work, especially in outpatient mental health settings. Learning new medications, communication techniques, and motivational interviewing has broadened her perspectives and improved patient interactions.

"Learning that in school has been very helpful in both environments…collaboration that I've been learning…is going to help me when I do practice." — Tess Muhammad

Tess’s ability to translate academic learning to real-world practice showcases the integral role of higher education in enhancing professional capabilities.

Advice for Prospective Graduate Students

Tess offers sage advice for those contemplating graduate school. Her key takeaway is the importance of seeking balance and ensuring personal well-being alongside academic pursuits. She urges students to prioritize health and embrace activities that bring joy and relaxation.

"Always, always, always put your health first. And I'm talking whole health, not just physical, mental, emotional. Find what helps you stay balanced and what helps you stay centered." — Tess Muhammad

She also emphasizes the importance of openness and communication with faculty and program directors, especially when facing personal challenges.

Tess Muhammad’s journey from chemistry to nursing and her ongoing pursuit of higher education exemplifies resilience, adaptability, and the quest for personal fulfillment. Her story serves as an inspiration to those navigating their own career transitions and contemplating the leap into graduate education. By prioritizing personal well-being and remaining adaptable, Tess shows us the way to uncovering a fulfilling professional path that truly aligns with one's passions.

 

TRANSCRIPT

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:00:01]:
Welcome to the victors in grad school, where we have conversations with students, alumni, and experts about what it takes to find success in graduate school.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:00:11]:
Welcome back to Victors in Grad School. I'm your host, doctor Christopher Lewis, director of graduate programs at the University of Michigan, Flint. I'm really excited to have you back again this week. Every week, I love being able to sit down with you, to talk to you, to work with you as you are going through this journey. And I always say journey every week. I know. And I tell you that it is a journey because it is a journey that you will be on as you are considering grad school, as you're in grad school, as you're preparing to complete grad school and move on into the next phase of your own career journey. And it's important.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:00:50]:
It's important to be able to prepare yourself and prepare yourself well, to be able to know what's coming, but also to know what you can do to prepare yourself better, but also to get ready to find success, find success in that journey. And there are things that you can do from the very beginning to be able to capture that success and be able to write your own story while you're in graduate school. And that's what this show is all about. Every week I love being able to bring you different people with different experiences that have gone through those different experiences, had different opportunities provided to them, but they found success along the way. And today we got another great guest with us. Tess Mohammed is with us today. And Tess is a current student in the BSN to DNP program at the University of Michigan Flint. Really excited to be able to have her on to talk about her journey through this program and her journey into this program and beyond.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:01:53]:
So really excited to be able to have her here and to have her share that journey with you. Tess, thanks so much for being here today.

Tess Muhammad [00:02:00]:
Thank you so much for having me.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:02:02]:
It is my pleasure having you here today. And you know, one of the things that I love doing as we start our conversations is really to turn the clock back in time, because I know that you have a couple of bachelor's degrees, and you did your first degree in chemistry from Michigan State University. And after that degree, you went off and you were a chemist for a while. And then at some point, you made a decision. You made a decision that you wanted to change tracks. You wanted to move in a different direction for your career and go into nursing. So you went and you got a second bachelor's degree in nursing. So take me back and talk to me about that first transition.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:02:48]:
And I know it's not graduate school, but I want to understand that first. Talk to me about the journey from chemist to nurse. And what made you decide that that was the route that you were gonna go?

Tess Muhammad [00:03:00]:
So although I worked as a chemist, that was my career. My interest was actually really deeply into mental health. For personal reasons dealing with some mental health issues myself with depression and seeking out help and I did seek sought out help both ways. Both pharmacological and also therapy. More complementary, therapy. So much more than talk therapy. A lot of energy type work and really got into it and fell in love with the idea of understanding the mind. Understanding how we work as human beings.

Tess Muhammad [00:03:32]:
Understanding what things we do to ourselves that can cause us to not be in the best mental state that we can be. And so on the outside, I'm sure at the time I looked very put together from everyone else standpoint of view. You know, I'm a chemist and I'm making my own way. But internally, there was a disconnect. We'll put it like that. I wasn't fulfilled internally. So I delve into just self help, into mental health, and every aspect of it, and every sense of wholeness from exercise, from what you put in your body, from getting assistance at times from medications, energy work, massage. Everything that you can think of plus me trust me, Reiki, I I have explored it.

Tess Muhammad [00:04:15]:
So that became the group that I hung out with outside of work was people that are into that. And so I knew going into nursing that I wanted to go into nursing, and I specifically wanted to go into behavioral health before I changed to nursing. Now at the time, I was, what people would probably say now, and it's not really late in age, but I was in my late thirties, early forties making this transition. And it was kind of difficult to be like, oh, do I really want to go back to school? I have a decent career now. But I came to the conclusion that I would be better service to the universe by becoming a nurse. So that's really what led me. It was, like, personal just journey for myself to be, like, I want to present and do what I love and what I have interest in, passion for. And so there it was.

Tess Muhammad [00:04:55]:
I saw the accelerated program at Oakland University and was like, you know what? I think this will work. I don't live that far from there, and I went forward. And the next thing, you know, I was here I am as a nurse. And then been working in inpatient behavioral health, acute in various forms and positions for the last 10 years.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:05:13]:
So over the last 10 years, you've gone through this career and you've built a career for yourself. And at some point during those 10 years, you had this spark. You had some inkling that you wanted to go further. You wanted to delve a little bit deeper. You wanted to continue your education. What made you decide that you wanted to go to graduate school?

Tess Muhammad [00:05:34]:
A lot of prompts from my peers. The psychiatrists that I work with just plugging it in my ear, planting the seed. You know what? I think that you would be really good if you became a practitioner and you actually are in that role. You're good at what you do on here on the floor, but we think that you're capable of it. So it just plugs Your years of working with my peers and the psychiatrist that I work with. And I started thinking about it, and I was like, okay. Maybe this is the full circle. Now I've learned being on the floor firsthand, acute.

Tess Muhammad [00:06:03]:
Now getting older as well and being on the floor, it's not a good idea. Just put it like that. So I started entertaining it, and I also had peers that were also going to school at the time or in the process of about to graduate. And they were like, it's worth it. So I just went for it. Yeah. I was just like, okay. It's time.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:06:23]:
And you did your first two degrees at 2 different institutions. And you ultimately decided that you wanted to attend the University of Michigan Flint for your BSN, the DNP program. There's a lot of DNP programs that are out there. What made you decide to attend the University of Michigan, Flint? What was going through your head as you were making that decision for yourself?

Tess Muhammad [00:06:49]:
So I don't know if you know this part. I actually started off at Wayne State because a lot of my peers went I have other peers that went different places, but a few went to Wayne State. And I was like, okay. It's convenient. I'm not that far from there. And, so I started there. And, as we know, it's a brick and mortar. And at the time when I started, it was during the pandemic.

Tess Muhammad [00:07:11]:
So we actually didn't have to come to class. But then, we had to come to class. Okay. So, that's not one of the only reasons that I left Wayne State. That was just part of the reason I realized the driving down, the sitting in class, it just I was working full time at the time. It just wasn't working out. And then I had some loss of mother, and emotionally I was gone. So, it was really more that that made me leave Wayne State was just like I wasn't mentally there.

Tess Muhammad [00:07:41]:
And I've always promised myself I would put my mental health first over anything. You know, be the example. So I ended up leaving Wayne State. And then once I knew I was gonna go back. I wasn't sure when and then I started kind of exploring different programs and stumbled upon U of M's program and how they had it set up with you being able to go for your DNP, but also get your masters. And then it was online for the most part, asynchronous, some synchronous. And even I felt like I could go to the campus if I needed to go 3 or 4 times, it was still better than having to come, having to drive down, having to sit in a class. It was just you could do things a little bit on your own time.

Tess Muhammad [00:08:20]:
And I felt like for my life, that was gonna work better. So I also knew a few people who went to undergrad at Flint, and they thought they loved the program. They're like, I'm telling you this, so you're gonna appreciate it so much more. So glad to you and Flint got in, and I I love it. Everything they said was, like, everything about it, I love. I feel like I'm supported. People respond to me quickly. I feel like I know what's going on.

Tess Muhammad [00:08:43]:
I feel like it's organized. I know what's expected of me. I know what my program's gonna look like. I know when I'm gonna graduate. You know what I mean? Like, it everything's straightforward. So that's I'm glad I made that decision. I'm glad I'm okay with there being a hiccup because it led me here.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:08:57]:
As you said, you started at Wayne State, then you made another transition. You transferred and and moved over to a brand new program at a brand new institution, different type of public learning and and different type of teaching styles because it's different faculty and a different focus. So talk to me a little bit about transitions. And as you there's a transition when you go from undergrad to grad, but you not only went from undergrad to grad at Wayne State, but then you've had a second transition of actually transitioning from one grad school to a completely different grad school. So talk to me about your transitions, and what did you have to do to set yourself up for success in both of those? The one from undergrad to grad, but then also the transfer in what you had to do to be successful in that. And what have you had to do now at the University of Michigan, Flint, to maintain your success throughout your time in this program?

Tess Muhammad [00:09:59]:
Well, we'll start off with Wayne State. I think Wayne State primed me for you of influence in that I would probably say a lot of us are overachievers. And so when I went to Wayne State knowing nothing about graduate school, I kinda came in with expectations that at the time necessarily weren't realistic with me working full time and going to school and grad school. That 1st semester at Wayne State was horrible for me. The balancing, the just everything about it, balancing family, balancing schoolwork, just life in general was a struggle because I had to adjust to myself. And I call it not lowering expectations. I call it changing expectations because I'm I'm not I don't lower anything. I have to change what I expect for myself.

Tess Muhammad [00:10:48]:
And from Wayne State, that's what I did. I changed expectations. Meaning, what I what I needed to put as priority or what I thought I needed to put as priority needed to change. So my priority wasn't always necessarily getting the best grade on an assignment. My priority was making sure I stayed healthy, both physically and mentally. And then from there, doing the things that will help me stay healthy, then doing what I can do to make sure that I'm being successful in the class. And successful in the class may not always mean equate to an a plus, an a minus. It may be a b plus.

Tess Muhammad [00:11:25]:
So because what's the old saying, if you don't have your health, you don't have anything. Like, your body is gonna decide to, hey. I'm gonna take a break. Whether you want me to know to or not, you know, I'm gonna take a break. So Wayne State got me at that place. So then when I'm trans by by the time I got to transfer, I came into U of M Flint with a whole different mindset of how I was going to manage U of M Flint, having been at Wayne State, and going through that whole process. So I definitely will say that I came into UHPlint in a much better place, much better able to prioritize work, life, family from that experience. And since then, have been doing that on specifics.

Tess Muhammad [00:12:04]:
You know? Like, again, my priority is my health first. So incorporating exercise. Making sure I'm doing something for myself in the morning before I do anything else. Which, as we know, exercise, everything about that helps you. You know, it helps me focus during the day. It helps me stay awake. It helps me, deal with things better, whether it's school work or group projects or It just, it does. So for me, a lot of being able to manage at U of M Flint has to do with doing things for myself first in terms of health and mental health, and then everything follows afterward.

Tess Muhammad [00:12:41]:
That's been my approach. And so far, I really it hasn't in terms of when I say grades aren't my first priority anymore. I still do okay. So it's working. I can still put myself first and my health first and still do well in school. And I think sometimes we think that it's a trade, but it's more of a balance. It's not a trade. You don't have to trade one for the other.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:13:00]:
Well, it's good to know that you do don't have to trade one thing for another, because I think that a lot of people going into grad school probably have that mindset that they think that they do have to give up something. And that sometimes can be a limiting factor of making the decision to jump, making the decision to go to graduate school, and allowing you to get that barrier outside of your head and being able to say no. You can still do the things that are important to you, and it still have those relationships to be able to do it. But it's a balancing piece of being able to understand where you have to put those priorities.

Tess Muhammad [00:13:44]:
And it's not easy. I mean, it's never it's not always easy. I'm saying these are the things I do. They're honestly, just right now with my unit closing, Suddenly, I don't know what's gonna happen. You know? Am I am I gonna get a paycheck in the next 2 weeks? Am I gonna already have another position? So all those things, but you just kinda have to surrender to the situation.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:14:02]:
There's definitely stressors that happen throughout graduate school, whether it be the things like you just said. Your unit is shutting down, and you're still having to make sure that you make it through grad school at the same time.

Tess Muhammad [00:14:16]:
Exactly.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:14:17]:
But others, I mean, there's going to be times where life happens. You have a a loved one that passes away. You get pregnant. You you you know, life happens while you're still going through grad school. And the one thing that I would say to any student is that when life happens, you need to reach out to your faculty, you need to reach out to your program, you need to talk to them about what is happening. Don't internalize it and try to push through, because inevitably, if you do that, it's going to impact your success during that term and beyond. And at some points, you have to make decisions of whether or not you can continue on, or if you need to step back, take a term, and then come back. But you won't know what the right answer is until you can talk to your faculty, your program, about what your options actually are.

Tess Muhammad [00:15:17]:
That's such a good advice because I think that a lot of students really don't look at that as an option that it's okay to step back and then come back. It's okay. But, like, most of us are just, oh, we gotta go through it straight through. It can't be anything that happens, but, no, it's okay.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:15:32]:
And I will be honest. There are some programs that are very lockstep, and taking a step back or taking a break may mean that you're taking a year off, and you have to understand all of the ramifications of taking that step back before you make the decision. So that's why I always tell students, everyone should know. Let them into your business and let them know what you're dealing with. Because if they can't, if your faculty don't know, they can't support you. If your program doesn't know, they can't support you. They want to support you because they want you to be able to graduate. It's to our benefit to have great alums out in the community using their degree to be able to to make the world a better place, and every program is going to want to see their students succeed.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:16:24]:
So but a lot of times, when I see students not succeeding when they're struggling and trying to push through whatever is happening, some of the problems come up because they don't disclose.

Tess Muhammad [00:16:41]:
They didn't reach out. That's good. That's it's good. That's good to hear. As he's like, you know it, but just the reinforcement. It's great.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:16:47]:
You're in the midst of your program. You're working through the program, and you're working at the same time, and a lot of graduate students will do that. As you've gone through these classes and you're learning all these new things, How are you finding that the information that you're learning in your classes can be utilized in the work that you do every day?

Tess Muhammad [00:17:09]:
Well, in the work I do in terms of acute well, it's interesting because I'm learning that acute psych specifically versus outpatient psych are 2 different worlds. So, I mean, in that, it's going to help me when I do practice, I mean, from different medications that are being used, which makes sense because when I someone's coming in acute, they're cute. They may be acutely psychotic. They may be acutely psych suicidal. So the medications and things that we use and approach that we use is gonna be different from someone who's is being in a maintenance phase. So that in itself has been huge for me because I'm just being introduced to so many different and it's almost refreshing because being able to be outpatient and see people that are functioning and then doing what they need to do and and have a life versus when you're inpatient. You kinda get the other side of it where you feel like, man, are any of these people getting healthy? They they come back? Things like that. So that's one side of it.

Tess Muhammad [00:18:08]:
A lot of the like motivational interviewing things that I'm learning, how to speak to patients, collaboration that I've been learning, definitely helpful. Helpful both inpatient and outpatient. So, in terms of communicating with different disciplines and learning that in school, that's been very helpful in both environments. But I will say, I mean, as anyone knows is in grad school, it is a bulk of information. So you kinda have to figure out how to prioritize, how to get the meat of it out, and what that can do for you and help you in your process and in your job and in your clinicals, and then keep moving. I don't know if that makes sense. And I don't know if I said it the way that I I intended, but it is a bulk of information, and it's all great information. But because it's a bulk of information, kind of streamlining, okay, this is what I need to focus on right now, and then move on to the next thing.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:19:06]:
So you've given a lot of piece of advice today. You've talked about your own experiences, the things that you have learned and what drew you and brought you here from your first graduate program. As you think about students that are considering graduate school, no matter if it's for nursing or for any area, what are some tips that you might offer to those individuals that are considering graduate school that would help them find success sooner?

Tess Muhammad [00:19:33]:
The biggest advice I would say is always try to stay centered. And what I mean by that is centered is try to stay balanced in what you expect from yourself and from the program. Don't put all your energy into one area of your life. Try to balance it out. And always, always, always put your health first. And I'm talking whole health, not just physical, mental, emotional. Find what helps you stay balanced and what helps you stay centered, whether that be you going to church, that means you going to the gym, That means that you need a massage every week or you need to hang out with family and friends, once a month or or once every week. Find something that helps you stay balanced, and that brings you joy.

Tess Muhammad [00:20:23]:
And make sure you do it. Don't sacrifice that or for school. Because that 1 hour or one evening that you spend with doing whatever it is you love or getting up in the morning and going for a walk every morning is, I promise, going to make everything else better and everything else, a little bit more manageable to deal with. If you find yourself completely leaving everything that you enjoyed because you have to study so much and because you have to work, at some point, it's going to be too much. You're going to be burned out. And when you get to that point, it's just your brain doesn't pick up the way it should. You're not comprehending things the way you should. There's no happiness there.

Tess Muhammad [00:21:08]:
And you need to always maintain some sort of peace and happiness while you're going to this program. So that's my advice.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:21:16]:
Yeah. Well, Tess, I just wanna say thank you. Thank you for sharing your advice today, for sharing your journey with us, and I truly wish you all the best as you continue in your education, as you continue toward that goal of getting your MSN and then your DNP to be able to help others the way that I know that you are trying to help them. Thanks. The University of Michigan Flint has a full array of masters and doctorate programs if you are interested in continuing your education. Whether you're looking for in person or online learning options, the University of Michigan Flint has programs that will meet your needs. For more information on any of our graduate programs, visit umflint.edu/graduateprograms to find out more. Thanks again for spending time with me as you prepare to be a victor in grad school.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:22:07]:
I look forward to speaking with you again soon as we embark together on your graduate school journey. If you have any questions or want to reach out, email me at [email protected].