This Nurse Paid Off $133k Of Debt In 7 Years While Starting A Family And A Business - Ep.54
This is a time to spruce up that old resume and see what else is out there even if you don’t have any plans of leaving your current job. Amanda Guarniere is an Ivy-league educated nurse practitioner and entrepreneur, having founded The Résumé Rx in 2018. She helps nursing professionals with career and résumé strategy so that they can land the opportunities that leave them personally and professionally fulfilled. She continues to work clinically in emergency medicine and her favorite job is being mom to her three young daughters.
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TRANSCRIPT:
Naseema McElroy (00:00): All right, Nurses on Fire. We are honored to have Amanda Guarniere join us from the Resume RX. Hey, Amanda.
Amanda Guarniere (00:11): Hey Naseema. Thanks for having me.
Naseema McElroy (00:12): Of course. So let's just hop right in and talk about your journey to becoming a nurse and a nurse practitioner.
Amanda Guarniere (00:20): Sure. So I am actually a second degree nurse and nurse practitioner. I had a different background before I decided to go into nursing. So I studied in my undergrad. I studied violin and Italian, which is not really your typical pre-nursing career path, but you know, long story short while I was in college, I realized ultimately that I wanted to be in more of a service profession as opposed to something that fostered my own interests and hobbies. So when I was a senior in college, I decided that I wanted to go down the path of nursing. So ultimately I decided to apply to some master's entry programs because I knew that I ultimately wanted to be a nurse practitioner. And fortunately there were some fantastic programs available that I was able to get accepted into. And so that was what came next for me. So I, after a very intense three year full time program of nursing plus advanced practice nursing, I graduated as an NP and jumped right into the NP world. And that was about nine years ago.
Naseema McElroy (01:26): Nice, nice. What program did you go to?
Amanda Guarniere (01:29): I went to Yale master's entry program.
Naseema McElroy (01:31): I knew you're going to say that. My friend, Ashley is about to enter that program right now. She's a little anxious because, you know, they haven't really decided how they're going to do school, which, you know, is a challenge for a lot of people right now. But because nursing, especially in an intensive program like that is so hands on is like, Oh my God, like, how do you do that? I just remember my first year, cause I did the same thing. I did a master's entry program as well. I did, I went to UCSF. Um, but you know, the first year, like you get thrown right into clinicals, I think we had like one quarter of like clinical lab and then we went right into clinicals. So that's challenging. So when you did your program, you went straight through all the way to your master's, right? You didn't take any breaks.
Amanda Guarniere (02:16): Correct. There was a short break in between second and third specialty here, but we went through the first, whole year, including the summer. That was our RN intensive year. And then I was able to work part time per diem as an RN. Once I passed my NCLEX while I was in school. So I was at least able to get some clinical, some paid clinical experience, but yeah, it was very intense, not much of a break except for that one small short summer. Nice. Nice.
Naseema McElroy (02:44): Okay. So you, along your path, becoming a nurse, did some awesome things and you all have an amazing debt-free journey as well. Can you please share that journey with us?
Amanda Guarniere (02:57): Sure. So, you know, I said before I went to Yale, which is a proud achievement of mine, but that proud achievement came with some debt to the tune of six figures. Plus I quickly realized that I was either going to have to take like the really, really long plan of paying it off forever, or I was going to have to get really serious and really intentional and pay down things with aggression. And that's the path that I chose. And the reason was I just got angry. I feel like, I feel like a lot of people who have a debt free journey get to this certain point where they just it's a breaking point kind of. And I was just not only frustrated, but I was resentful of my job.
Amanda Guarniere (03:45): I thought I just spent all this money all this time to go through this rigorous program. And I don't even get to keep the fruits of my labor. I don't even get to keep my paycheck. I'm paying it all back to my, you know, loan distributor. And I just got so frustrated about that and I just viewed it all as a setback, which was kind of a mindset thing. You know, I thought, well, I could have just not done this program, not had any debt and kept all my income and started to build my retirement. And I just felt frustrated. So I took that frustration and I funneled it into, you know, saving money, working more, earning more money. I picked up a second NP job nights and weekends, and just got really aggressive about paying off the debt. I scoured for loan repayment programs and found that I qualified because I had a very high debt to income ratio. I owed more than what I made in a year and I worked in an underserved area. So I was able to get some loan, repayment, money, and all of that, um, is how I spent kind of the seven years after I graduated, um, focusing on that. And so seven years after I graduated, I was able to say that I was completely debt free. You know, student loans, no consumer debt, nothing.
Naseema McElroy (05:03): And how much was that? That you paid off?
Amanda Guarniere (05:06): $133,000.
Naseema McElroy (05:08): That is so awesome. And I am right there with you. Like I hate it, those loans. Oh my God. And like calling the loan, servicers was like the biggest headache of my life. Like trying to talk to them and like trying to understand like why is my payment $1,900 a month? Like, can you explain this to me? Like it just dealing with them was a nightmare in itself. And so I probably could have paid off my loans, like a little bit more strategically where I could have invested more, but Oh my God, I never regret the fact that I got rid of those loans because they were horrible, horrible. Oh my God. But you are able to do what you're able to pick up shifts and Oh, also you were able to benefit from some loan repayments. I've found that when I went to go look for loan repayment programs where I was working, so I had two jobs during that time. So one of the jobs would have qualified for me to have loan repayment, but that would have meant that I would have had to quit my higher paying job. And so it just didn't make any sense for me, but I'm glad that it works out for you. How much in loan repayments were you able to get?
Amanda Guarniere (06:16): When I applied the specific program awarded the award was 60% of your remaining loan balance. And at the time it was still a hundred thousand. I hadn't made much of a dent and they did after taxes. Cause it was, they withdrew taxes, it was taxable income. It was probably a net of a little less than $45,000 over the course of two years. And essentially I got a direct deposit every month from the loan repayment program. And I was responsible for putting that right towards the loan. So I did that. And then what I did, what really accelerated things was I continued to pay for my own money. So they were giving me the money I made that payment. And then I still took a large chunk of my own income. So I was essentially doubling down on the payments every month, which really accelerated the process.
Naseema McElroy (07:07): That is incredible. Wow. That's a good chunk to receive. And that's all as a grant, like you don't have to pay it back. What were the stipulations around it?
Amanda Guarniere (07:16): Yeah, so it was, um, the reason why I qualified was not just my debt to income ratio, but the hospital where I was working was a nonprofit facility with a high health provider shortage area score. So it was considered an underserved hospital and in exchange for the loan repayment, I had to work there for two years. So, and after the two years was up, I had the option to extend for an additional third year for another percentage of repayment. However, you had to work there full time. And during that time, right in the middle, I got pregnant and had twins. So I took plot twist the four months that I was off of work, didn't count towards that loan repayment time. So the time got extended. And at the end of the time, at the end of the repayment period, I was close enough to being able to pay them off that I decided that I didn't want to extend for another year because I didn't want to work full time for another year. So that was part of my, there was always an exit strategy of removing myself from full time employment because I knew that I wanted to have a family. And with twins, I knew that working full time as an NP in the ER working nights was not, was not what I wanted longterm. I wanted to be able to have the flexibility to step down or step away, which I did.
Naseema McElroy (08:37): Wow. So how old are your twins now?
Amanda Guarniere (08:40): They are four and the new baby is 10 months.
Naseema McElroy (08:45): So cute. Oh my God. So four, are they boy, girl, girl. How are they?
Amanda Guarniere (08:50): Three girls we're a girl family.
Naseema McElroy (08:53): Whoo girl, listen. Me and my two girls. I thought I had a bad or I got it. I have a six year old and an 18 month old. Oh my God. Three girls in the house or you're old and it didn't, but though woo. I feel you is she walking yet?
Amanda Guarniere (09:11): Not yet, but I just found her yesterday, pulled up in her crib, but looking over the side. So it's happening soon. I think,
Naseema McElroy (09:19): Watch out all right. Back to your regularly scheduled program. So you're debt free. You have your twins and when did you start the resume RX business?
Amanda Guarniere (09:34): So that was exactly two years ago this month. And it was shortly after a few months after I decided to go part time at work. And it was kind of, it came out of me wanting to, I had a little bit more time on my hands, not a ton of time. You know, I had nap time and after bedtime and I just felt a little bit restless and I wanted to fill the time and find something that was another source of income for me that could eventually replace my in-person time in the hospital. My babies were young and I still had this immense working mom guilt of feeling like I was leaving. I was leaving the people who needed me to go care for people who didn't necessarily appreciate me. And that was a really difficult, I don't know. I think a lot of people feel that, but maybe don't say that as much out loud.
Amanda Guarniere (10:30): So that's how I was feeling. So I wanted to find another way. So it really started as a side hustle, really something during nap time and after they went to bed and I was writing resumes for people and it really turned into a much bigger platform and kind of the educational community where I don't just write resumes for nurses. I actually teach nurses how to, you know, find the career path that they want, how to interview, how to negotiate, how to really take control over their career. Because you know, the common thread here is that's what I was able to do. And I want everybody to be able to have that to be in the driver's seat of their, of their career, because I think it is such a gift that not everybody feels permission to do. So that's my kind of overarching reason why this is important to me.
Amanda Guarniere (11:26): That is so awesome. So you help nurses really reshape just how they look at the world of nursing because nursing is so broad and you know, it's so easy to get trapped into this tunnel vision of what you're doing, that you also, you sometimes forget what's out there. So what you're doing is super important, but how did you even know that you were good at writing resumes in the first place? Like hate resumes?
Amanda Guarniere (11:57): Such a good question. So I didn't know that people hated them because I'm that weird kind of nerdy person who likes that type of thing. So I always loved writing my own resume. I was always good at it. And I was in a Facebook group one day in one of my nurse practitioner, Facebook groups, and someone had put up a post saying, Hey, can someone post a picture of their resume? I had no idea what to do. And you know, I kind of sat there like, well, yeah, I can show you my resume. I was surprised that someone was asking for help. Cause you know, when you're like too close to something that, you know, the curse of knowledge, you don't know that other people don't have that knowledge. So I posted the screenshot or whatever, and I got tons of comments and responses about how awesome it was.
Amanda Guarniere (12:38): And so that planted the seed. And then I kept seeing similar posts. You know, once you see something you can't unsee, like when it happens again. And I thought to myself, wow, this is really a pain point for not just people in general, but for nurses in particular and nurse practitioners. So I said, I could do this for people. I have, you know, I have writing skills. I can design that type of document. Why don't I try doing it for people? So I kind of scrounged up some friends and I said, Hey, can I write your resume for you? Let me redo it. I won't charge you anything. But if you like what I've done, you can give me a testimonial and tell your friends, whatever. So I did that. And then I put a word out in that Facebook group that I was going to be doing it for a very low cost to see if I could do it for other people. And it turns out I could, and I could do the same thing that I did for myself, for other people and do a good job at it. So that's just how it kind of snowballed. And people started recommending me to their friends and their colleagues. And it just kind of took off from there.
Naseema McElroy (13:43): Can you tell me a story of like one really big success for somebody of somebody that you've rewritten their resume? Like somebody went on to do something phenomenal that they didn't even think that they knew it was possible?
Amanda Guarniere (13:56): Yeah. I think, you know, I get a lot of messages from either people who I have written their resume for them, or they've used one of my templates and like followed my process to do it. And I get the same message and I'll just kind of summarize the kind of same message that I get. Hey Amanda, thank you so much for these resources. I was able to do my resume and apply for this job that I didn't even think that I could get. And this resume made me so much more confident. That's the golden statement right there. And I hear that message over and over and it makes me so happy because that's the goal, right? I truly believe that a lot of the career navigation is a mindset thing. And when you are more confident in who you are and what you're capable of, and you are confident in going out there and getting you want, like everything else just falls into place. So it's not really about a fancy document. It doesn't matter as much as the confidence to go out and take the risk and take the chance and put yourself out there. Um, so while it's not necessarily one person's story, it ends up being so many people's story, which gives me so much happiness and purpose.
Amanda Guarniere (15:13): That's so awesome. What would you tell a new grad nurse that really is scared to come into the field, but really doesn't have all the experience on their resume. So they don't feel as confident applying for jobs. What would you tell them? Like how should they write their right?
Amanda Guarniere (15:31): Yeah. So they should really focus on the skills that they already have that may not be nursing skills. Like they may not have the bedside technical procedural skills because they haven't yet practiced and that's okay. But chances are, they have something either in their educational history or their prior work history that tells a story about them and why they are going to be an excellent nurse. And that is what employers are looking at in new grads. They're not looking for a new grad who knows how to start, you know, an IV really well. They're looking for a new grad who has passion and interest in aptitude to be able to kind of assimilate into a role really well. So I think that if a new grad can look into themselves and figure out what that special sauce is, and then project that through their resume and their cover letter and their interview skills, then I think that's kind of the best case scenario.
Naseema McElroy (16:27): That's awesome. That's awesome. But you have some incredible resources for people on your website, but you also just launched a podcast. Can you talk more about that? Congratulations. Thank you.
Amanda Guarniere (16:42): Thank you. I, yeah, this was a big step for me. I'm not, I'm not super confident in putting myself out there. It was a real big step in like bravery and vulnerability for me. Um, because the podcast it's called nurse becoming, and it's really more so about growth than it is about kind of nursing skills. You know, I'm not talking about how to do clinical skills well and not even giving, you know, nitpicky advice about how to structure your resume. It's much more about how we can look at where personal and professional growth kind of intersects. And so it's much more of a wholehearted holistic type of podcast. That's certainly geared towards all nurses. So those are the types of conversations that we're having on the podcast. So it's a variety of just me talking and also I'll have some nurse experts and there's personalities to talk to as well.
Amanda Guarniere (17:39): So I'm, I'm really excited about, um, it just launched last week. So it's had some great response and I'm excited about what's coming up. Yay. Congratulations. So tell us more about what we can find out on your website as far as resources for the resume RX. Yes. So I have a blog and a lot of free resources. I have a few different cover letter guides and basically some word for word I call them Madlibs, which I think shows my age a little bit, but Madlibs for different parts of your resume. And those are free guides. And I have a couple of free trainings as well, if you're not really sure about how to get started, identifying what you're good at, um, in terms of your specialty, that type of thing, my best selling products are my resume templates. So if you're someone who wants to write your resume yourself, but have kind of a prompt and a format of how to walk yourself through that, that is my most popular offering.
Amanda Guarniere (18:41): And then I have a few other advanced courses that are more tutorial style courses for writing your resume. And also, um, I have a course specifically for nurse practitioners to helping you go from when you graduate to when you get your first contract. So I do have a variety of, of things available all, all around career related things for nurses and NPS.
Naseema McElroy (19:06): That's awesome, great resources. So what would you tell an a nurse who maybe wanted to go out and pursue something that's like a side hustle outside of nursing, like writing resumes is totally not what you went to the nursing school for, but it's a complete passion and you've been able to turn it into a very lucrative business. How would you encourage another nurse to go about doing that?
Amanda Guarniere (19:30): Yeah. I would definitely encourage someone to be observant of what people struggle with. Be observant about what problem you can solve. That's in that area of your kind of expertise, but other people struggle with because that's how you find a profitable idea, because if something is profitable, it's a business. If it's not profitable, it's a hobby and hobbies are great too. And I don't want to stifle anyone's, you know, hobby building, but if you want to create a business, something that makes money for you, then you need to find something that people will pay for. So I really encourage nurses to think creatively about how they can use either their nursing related skill set or their other skills to solve that problem for somebody else.
Naseema McElroy (20:21): I think that's so awesome. Well, thank you so much, Amanda, for joining us, this has been really informative and I loved your journey just on being a nurse like who knew a violinist. Actually, I used to play the violin too, to becoming a nurse practitioner and now having this really thriving business that is super profitable. And so you are an inspiration for me and I know so many other people will be inspired by your story. So thank you so much for sharing and good luck with those three girls.
Amanda Guarniere (20:54): Thank you. I'll need it.
Hey there I’m Naseema
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