Job Title: Adult-Gerontology Nurse Practitioner/Nocturnal Hospitalist Nurse Practitioner
Where do you Work: Mercy Health-Urbana Hospital
Describe what your day is like/what you do: My typical day starts at 7 p.m. when I relieve the Day Hospitalist. I am responsible for admitting patients from the Emergency Department to our inpatient unit. I manage all inpatients during the night for any emergency or medical management needs.
What inspired you to get into health care? I started my career in 1996 as an STNA. I was inspired to become a registered nurse when I saw an ICU nurse in action taking care of my grandfather. I admired the skill and knowledge needed to care for critically ill patients. Upon graduating nursing school, I went straight into critical care, where I stayed until I started nurse practitioner school. I have been an nurse practitioner for five years.
What’s a memorable experience you’ve had in health care? My most memorable experience in patient care was holding the hand of a frail elderly woman so she wouldn’t die alone.
What do you want readers to know about your job right now? Nurse practitioners are needed in patient care teams. Most nurse practitioners bring to their provider role many years of nursing experience. Nurse practitioners provide patient care in a different way than our physician counterparts and have similar patient outcomes.
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