Editor's Note: This article is the fourth in a series spotlighting and supporting various nurse entrepreneurs and their businesses. In partnership with adni, products from each nurse business will be featured in our Nurse 365 monthly giveaways — enter to win here!
Recently, Nurse.com sat down with Justine Bailey (aka Professor Jus B) to learn more about her and Jus Like That — an online business she leads that provides career and education resources to nurses and nursing students.
Justine lives in Ontario, Canada, and has been a practicing registered nurse for almost 20 years. She is also a nurse educator at Conestoga College and Fanshawe College in Ontario. Though she no longer works in clinical practice, she works closely with nursing students in the classrooms, the labs, and other learning environments when she’s not running her business.
Learn more about Jus Like That here!
Q: Tell us a little about your journey from nursing school to creating a business.
Justine Bailey: After I graduated from nursing school, I immediately started my career in critical care. I realized very quickly that this wasn’t for me and that there must be something else in nursing that I could do and feel passionate about. I went right into my master's program and quickly started teaching. And that's where I found my passion for education and working with students.
I did that for a number of years and worked in leadership and administration and at not-for-profits. Then, just a few years ago around 2021, I realized that I could do something more — something with more impact. And that's how Jus Like That was born — because I recognized that students were learning not just from their textbooks, but from the University of YouTube, so to speak. They were going to social media to supplement their education and the learning they were getting in the classroom.
Professors were so hesitant to put themselves out on social media because it was unfamiliar. We didn’t grow up learning that way. So I took a leap of faith and said, “Why not start teaching on YouTube and teaching the things that some people, including nursing professors, don't want to talk about or students are too nervous to ask about?”
I started putting out content on social media and very quickly realized that there was an appetite for what I had to offer, plus it was my way of ensuring that nurses of color are represented too!
Resume proofing and polishing, career coaching, and moving forward in their careers were definitely things that a lot of students had questions about.
So I said, well, let me see if I could provide these services. That's how I started creating content and supporting nursing students and new grad nurses as they embark on their careers. I was especially mindful of those students who look like me and don’t see themselves represented in their classrooms or learning spaces. I wanted to ensure that they saw nursing educators and leaders who represented them! That's how the business was born.
Q: Do you think it's common for nursing students taking their first steps into the workforce to struggle with crafting resumes and cover letters?
Justine Bailey: Absolutely. Because it's skipped over in school, and no one really teaches you the ropes. They talk about it, but they don't teach you how to actually do it — apart from a couple of general comments about which categories to include on your resume, or they may offer some sort of template.
I felt that nursing students could really benefit from some light handholding through it at first and some guidance about being strategic in how to craft their resumes.
I think a big part of it too is not just resumes and cover letters but really getting beneath the surface and asking, “Why are you doing this in the first place? Is it about just getting a job?”
Nursing graduates can get a job anywhere, but they should be strategic and understand if a particular nursing job is going to fulfill them, not just their pockets.
It’s not just about filling a role — it’s about whether a job is going to align with who the nurse is as a person. It's that deeper discovery that I felt instructors and professors don’t really get into simply because they just don't have the time!
And that's where the coaching comes in — where it helps people discover where their passion and purpose lie and then helping them find work that aligns with that.
The last thing we want to do is have more nurses leave the profession because they're not happy. We all know how that ends up, right? They leave the profession and then the cycle continues.
But if new grads are going for positions that align with who they are, what their strengths are, and with their passions and purpose, then it’s a perfect match. And that's where we're going to get the longevity, sustainability, and career satisfaction that we’re all working towards.
Q: What would you say to new nurses who are looking for a role but do not necessarily see roles that align with what they envisioned when they were first inspired to become a nurse?
Justine Bailey: A lot of people are just throwing darts and just seeing what they hit. They’re wondering, “Who's going to hire me first?” But that's not the approach that I recommend for new grads.
I tell new grads to know who they are first. Remove the label of “nurse” and dig deep into who they are as a person.
I want them to ask themselves, “What are my strengths? What can I contribute? What impact do I want to make on my community and the world around me? How do I want to feel when I leave work?” I tell them to discover who they are first and then look for employment that aligns with that person.
Teaching the value of self-discovery is a huge component of what I do because it translates into who they are as professionals and as people.
Q: What were the biggest challenges that you faced in getting your business going?
Justine Bailey: Nurse entrepreneurship is scary because there are few who actually embark on this path and stick to it. So when you talk about entrepreneurship, at least within my nursing circles, everyone's looking at you like, “What do you mean you're not going to do the regular kind of nursing educator job?” or “What do you mean you don't work at a hospital? What do nurse entrepreneurs do?”
I always pose the question, “Why can't it be both — a nurse and entrepreneur? Why does it have to be one or the other?”
I think the challenge is overcoming those stereotypes, even within people in the profession. I think it's getting better now because we're seeing more nurse entrepreneurs embark on this path and be successful, especially in the United States. But here in Canada, it’s incredibly uncommon — almost unheard of.
That’s a huge challenge — justifying what I'm doing and explaining it to people who don't understand. But it's just breaking those stereotypes of what a nurse entrepreneur looks like and what nurses, in general, are supposed to do with their careers.
Q: What advice would you give to a nurse who’s happy working within their role and has a great idea for a business but is facing the same kind of uncertainty about getting started?
Justine Bailey: I would say just start! Even if it's messy. Even if it feels chaotic. Because you're not going to have all the answers up front. You won't have the perfect business strategy and a fantastic website right out of the gate.
It will be chaotic, and you won’t know where to start, but take baby steps — even if it's just researching ideas and teaching yourself.
Don't wait for the perfect time. Don't wait until you have the perfect business strategy. I'm two or three years in, and I still feel like I don't know what I'm doing some days and wonder whether I’m using the right strategy. But you have to get started and keep going.
Q: What do you enjoy most about running your business?
Justine Bailey: What fulfills me the most is seeing people succeed. Whether it's clinical nursing or public health nursing, starting a home business, or just getting through the first semester of nursing school — I love to see people succeed!
Whether I'm in the classroom or people are leaving positive comments on my YouTube videos or downloading my free APA assignment templates… I want to see people succeed. That’s a huge foundational aspect of my business.
I want to provide them with the knowledge, tools, and resources that make it easier to empower themselves and discover what’s been inside them all along. I want them to know someone is rooting for them and in their corner.
Q: Finally, what motivates you every day?
Justine Bailey: My business isn’t a money-making thing for me as much as it is knowing that students or nurses are going to do well because of what I do. That’s the biggest satisfaction for me.
I didn't start with the idea of wanting to do this because I wanted to get rich. That wasn't the business strategy for me.
It was, “How can I make an impact?” That's what birthed Jus Like That. And the fact that I’m helping people succeed keeps me going.
