Many years ago, after a go-live implementation, I recall feeling as though I was pointing and clicking much more than I was working on new projects and development efforts. I was missing the design and development efforts of the IT life cycle system.

I was looking for new challenges and growth within the field. 

I was in the stabilization and maintenance phase of the IT implementation at that time. This is an essential aspect of the system development life cycle. However, at that time, I was looking to learn more, be challenged more, and do more of the complex puzzle piece work that I had come to really enjoy. 

Within the next year, I found myself in a PhD program at Duke studying the meaning of knowing the patient and nurses' information needs before and after an electronic health record nursing documentation implementation. 

I had definitely found my next level challenge!! (an understatement)

What I have come to find is that we go through plateaus and climbs in professional care...