Caitlyn Nichols Discusses ICUnursingnotes by Caitlyn and 'Helping Nurses Come Into Their Own'

Caitlyn Nichols, BSN, RN, CCRN-CMC, is the founder of ICU Nursing Notes by Caitlyn - an Etsy shop & Instagram platform dedicated to critical care nursing education. Caitlyn is known for creating unique and visual note sheets tailored toward visual learners. With over 20,000 sales & close to 70,000 followers on Instagram, what started as a creative hobby and a way to keep her on track with her own learning as a new nurse soon turned into a successful business. 

"As a new grad nurse, there is a steep learning curve associated with transitioning from nursing school to the bedside. You're learning how to be a nurse and, at the same time, you're learning how to care for critically ill patients. My nursing notes are my creative way of teaching complex topics in a simplified way. I always draw an illustration with it so people can visualize what I'm talking about,” explained Nichols in our interview, among other topics like the challenges that she has faced and what it's like to help so many nurses. 

Caitlyn Nichols Discusses ICUnursingnotes by Caitlyn 

allnurses: Tell us about yourself and ICU Nursing Notes. 

Caitlyn: My name is Caitlyn, and I'm a registered nurse in Rhode Island. I worked in the cardiac ICU at a level I trauma center as a new grad nurse, and then I transitioned to the cardiac cath lab. When I first started making these notes, I had only been a nurse for a few months. Nursing, and healthcare in general, wasn't in the best place because of the pandemic, and I felt like I didn't have a lot of educational resources. I used to go home and study for hours in an effort to overcome the steep learning curve. Initially, my notes were for my own learning purposes, but they later became more than that. A few of the nurses that I worked with saw them and suggested making an Instagram page to share my work. So I did, and that's when I started ICU Nursing Notes by Caitlyn. At first, it was just my coworkers, friends, and family who followed my page but, with the power of social media, it spread pretty quickly. People were sharing my notes, and I received so many messages from younger nurses & nursing students who expressed how helpful my notes were. While a majority of my audience are registered nurses, I also have a lot of nursing students, nurse practitioners, CRNAs, physicians, and physician assistants who follow my page. I never realized how many people learned in the same way that I do. After my Instagram page took off, I started an Etsy business to sell my notes as printable PDFs, and I've made over 28,000 sales. My Instagram platform is free, and I post my notes there too because I want people to be able to learn and benefit from them. The business aspect is just a benefit to what I'm doing; it's not the most important part for me. It's more that I want to help other nurses and provide them with the educational resources that I wish I had as a new nurse. 

allnurses: What were the first version of your notes like, and how has it evolved since you first launched? 

Caitlyn: At first, the layout was kind of all over the place for a lack of a better way to put it! I tried to fit so much information on one page to the point where, if I took a picture of it, you would have to zoom in to even read it. It was overwhelming to look at. Sure, I wasn't used to formatting at the time, but I was also trying to learn so much. Over the past 3 years, I've learned how to stay away from information overload and make my notes easier to look at. I try to format my notes with key points and a relevant illustration so that people can visualize and understand what I'm talking about. It's great for explaining pathophysiology. One of my favorite quotes is, "If you can't explain it simply, then you don't understand it well enough!” 

allnurses: Was there a moment when you realized that this can be a business where you're like, "Oh, I can sell these. I can turn this into a business?" 

Caitlyn: If you were to have told me I would be where I am right now a few years ago, I wouldn't believe it! I got so many messages and comments from people on Instagram saying, "Do you sell these?" and "I would love to buy these." I tried to brainstorm some creative ways to sell my notes. I initially went to Staples and made copy after copy, but it was too cumbersome and time-consuming. I thought a digital download (PDF) option on Etsy was a good starting point because, if someone is using my notes to study for an exam, then the sooner the better. I subscribe to the Adobe PDF application, and I scan them. When people purchase them and download them, it's nice and clear, and it looks like a printed copy. 

Challenges as a Small Business Owner and Nurse 

allnurses: What are some of the challenges that you've faced as a small business owner and a nurse at the same time? 

Caitlyn: It definitely takes a lot of my time, but I prioritize what is important to me, and that is my education. It can be hard to work a long shift and come home to keep up with my Etsy business and Instagram page. There is a lot of research involved. On average, it takes me 3-6 hours to make one of my note sheets, depending on the complexity of it. It can take me hours to gather all of the research that I need (shoutout to Dr. Bartos for teaching me how to find EBP articles LOL). I respond to all of my Instagram and Etsy messages, so that takes some time, too. Another challenge that I've encountered is the publishing process. I recently made my business a limited liability company (LLC), which is one step toward this. My end goal is to publish all of my notes in a book, and I am definitely working towards that. 

allnurses: Do you have any advice for other nurses that are looking to start their own business or branch off from just bedside? 

Caitlyn: My advice is to think outside of the box. Dare to be different. Engage your creative side - we all have one! Find out what your passion is. You can't go into it with a money-making mindset. I think there are so many different routes that you can take as a nurse. There are a lot of side hustles.. I would say social media is a really powerful tool. Start there, I think. I've made a lot of connections with nursing educators from around the country, and I have actually met most of them at this conference (shoutout to @nicolekupchik, @eddyjoemd, @rapidresponsern, @scrublifenotes, @iseeu_nurse, & @critical_care_academy)! Another thing I would suggest is to try to attend as many nursing conferences like NTI as you can. There are so many networking and educational opportunities. 

allnurses: What is the most rewarding part of running your business? 

Caitlyn: The most rewarding part, by far, is how many nurses I have helped. And it's so simple, you know? It doesn't feel like a chore to me. I love to learn, and I love to use my creativity to make these notes. I teach myself new things in the process, so it's really a win-win. I remember what it felt like to be a new grad nurse, so it's really rewarding to hear newer nurses saying, "I read your notes, I felt more prepared going to work the next day." The most rewarding part is just helping the younger generation of nurses (including my own) come into their own. 

allnurses: What's next for ICUnursingnotes by Caitlyn? 

Caitlyn: My plan is to eventually get them published into a book that I can sell in bookstores and at the annual NTI conference. I also hope to start making narrated videos of my note sheets; that way, I can explain concepts in more detail.. I think it can be more engaging to see a video and listen to somebody teach instead of just reading what I write. 

ICUnursingnotes by Caitlyn are purchasable on Etsy and available on Instagram.