Leaving the 'dream job' for a true calling

After more than a decade in nursing and system-level healthcare roles, Jones is now pioneering a new path as she pursues her Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) in Psychiatric-Mental Health at the UC College of Nursing and an Integrative Health Graduate Certificate at UC’s Osher Center for Integrative Health.

Jones’s story weaves through hospital rooms and boardrooms. Holding bachelor’s degrees in sociology and philosophy, and a master’s degree in organizational communication, her work in health IT and consulting at the Advisory Board allowed her to impact healthcare at a systems-level — domestically and internationally. But the more she worked behind the scenes, the more she felt drawn back to the bedside.

Her transition back to clinical work wasn’t a spontaneous leap; it came after deep reflection. That introspection solidified her decision to become a psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner—a goal she had long held but delayed.

“When COVID hit, the cracks in our mental health infrastructure became undeniable,” she says. “I knew I had to be part of the solution.”

Featured image (provided): Bethany Jones in front of the Sydney Opera, Australia, at an Advisory Board work trip.