Justine Bailey

Justine Bailey is a Registered Nurse and nursing educator with nearly 20 years of experience in education, leadership, and administration. She completed her Bachelor of Science in Nursing and Master of Nursing degrees from the Toronto Metropolitan University and established her clinical expertise as an emergency nurse. She has taught in various academic settings across Ontario in the baccalaureate, practical nursing, and personal support worker programs. In 2022, she stepped into the world of entrepreneurship as a nurse while leveraging her unique experience and passion for teaching, mentoring, and pushing the boundaries of what nurses can do. Her online business, called  Jus Like That focuses on empowering students and nurses to lead meaningful lives and careers through career coaching, career development, and content creation. Currently, Justine works as the Nursing Education & Innovation Lead at CBI Home Health. Apart from being an educator and entrepreneur, she enjoys baking with her two young daughters, singing, dancing, and thrift shopping!

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Breaking Boundaries: Discovering Non-Traditional Nursing Roles

I’ll be honest. I didn’t want to be a nurse. For me, nursing was never just about caring for others at the bedside. Even after graduation, I knew that a career in nursing extended beyond the traditional clinical focus. However, like many first-generation children of immigrant parents, I was raised by my Filipino family to value education, security, and service to others.

As a young adult trying to decide my career path, I was encouraged by parents to follow a “career road-map” that would (in theory), lead to career success and happiness. But over the years, as I followed this roadmap, I increasingly began to wonder and ask myself – whose idea of success am I working towards? More importantly, what does success actually look like…for me?

A Winding Path to Purpose

As a Filipino-Canadian woman entering the nursing field, there were labels and stereotypes that I had to break through. I didn’t always feel like I fit the traditional mold of what a nurse “should be.” Though I started my career at the bedside working in the emergency department, I noticed over time that I was drawn to those roles that were ‘non-traditional’ or atypical. After finishing my baccalaureate and graduate degree immediately after, I landed several nursing leadership roles in academia, non-profit organizations, and even private healthcare companies.  Over time, purpose, impact, and empowerment became far more important than a paycheck or a title. I knew my next career move HAD to be bold, boundary-breaking, and even… entrepreneurial!

Breaking the Mold: A Nurse Entrepreneur Is Born

With tons of doubt and hesitation, I launched my own business in 2022. Jus Like That wasn’t just a clever name — it was an innovative way of combining my unique strengths, skills, and expertise with my passion and purpose of empowering others to lead meaningful lives and careers. I felt the need to build a brand that challenged the norms of nursing education and celebrated underrepresented voices in nursing and beyond. My voice mattered. My content mattered. It was up to me to show up and break through those boundaries (despite my fear!) 

A Message to Nurses Who Feel Like They Don’t Belong

To every nursing student or nursing professional who wonders if there’s a space for someone like them in healthcare or other industries beyond nursing — There absolutely is!

A career in nursing is not a one-size-fits-all approach. Nor is it about choosing one career path over the other.

You can be a nurse AND an entrepreneur.

You can be a nurse AND an influencer AND an author AND a podcaster!

It’s really up to you to discover how you’ll break those boundaries and define the ‘AND’ for yourself! Don’t wait for permission or the encouragement of others. If you have the passion and conviction to break those boundaries, just do it! Your voice and contribution matter!

My journey of breaking through to discover non-traditional nursing roles is proof that when nurses lean into their passion and purpose, they inspire others, make a meaningful impact, and transform the profession for the better.

To learn more about Justine’s work or her business Jus Like That, visit www.juslikethat.ca or follow her on social media for empowering content, career tips, and community.