I just completed a presentation of my idea to offer additional resources to veterans in crisis, and as I looked around the breakroom, applause was the last thing they were thinking. I attempted to explain how veterans are forced to manage in a broken system; they need help especially from nurses. At the time, my focus was the veteran population exclusively since most of my family had served. My journey into mental health care had begun.I accepted a position at the Lubbock Veteran’s Outpatient Clinic and was assigned to assist clinic with Angie Mcdonald PMHNP/FNP-one of the most awesome nurses I have met in my career. I wish she would’ve been my boss, I would probably still be there. Nope, Satan’s sister was my boss. After two years of trying to understand, empathize, and tolerate the absolute WORST Nurse Manager in the universe, I considered my service tenure to my country repaid in full. I thought I would retire at the VA when I started my job, but I have never felt more terrorized and bullied in any other nursing position by the NM, and I do not regret being the “Sacrificial Lamb” for the Union & remaining nurses to begin the process to have her removed from the position. My next adventure was a referral to a Vocational Nursing school as an Instructor. The Academic Coordinator asked if I would be opposed to teach the mental health course with clinicals as part of my class assignments since I had worked at the VA. I accepted the offer and quickly fell in love with teaching in a formal setting. My enthusiasm spread as my students and fellow faculty members began to really comprehend the care of mental health individuals, and how they are underserved and misunderstood. Clinicals at the inpatient psychiatric unit confirmed what I suspected was my real calling in the nursing profession.I plan to dramatically impact my patient’s outcomes and would like to accomplish this with more of a proactive approach to cognitive therapy and less of a prescription for a pill. What would happen if every encounter is to start a therapeutic relationship regardless of medical or psychiatric diagnosis? Teaching taught me silence, presence, and willingness to listen are sometimes all individuals need to solve their own problems, draw conclusions, and leave cracks to begin hard work. I’m interested in interventions in times of crisis as well as therapeutic relationship maintenance; with the expansion of Telepsychiatry, more individuals may be served.