Nursing Isn’t Just My Career—It’s My Way of Life
When asked what ignites my professional passion, the answer is clear; It’s a deep caring for others. To me, this is congruent with being a nurse. Most nurses innately believe that we are here to help humanity. Nursing isn’t just my career; it’s my way of life. I’m always thinking about health care—how I can be of help to others. I carry aspirin and Benadryl in my purse to be a Good Samaritan in the event anyone has a heart attack or severe allergic reaction. I’m also always happy to jump on the phone and provide triage in a jiffy. I’m informed, prepared, and excited to provide care at any moment. Overnights included. I’m driven by caring, not by obligation.
My nursing journey began in the late 1970s. Although I’ve always had a passion for helping others, I didn’t know early on which career path to choose. I initially studied to become a teacher. One day, when my dad and I were together, he was driving and heard a radio ad about nursing. He suggested a nursing career. It was the perfect suggestion and perfect timing. My younger brother had recently been diagnosed with type-1 diabetes. I wanted to learn more to be supportive, and knew for certain then that nursing was my calling. Becoming a nurse allowed me to extend my ability to help many others, far beyond family and friends.
I’ve had the great opportunity to practice nursing in multiple specialty areas throughout my career, from pediatrics and ICU to radiology and internal medicine. But my passion was really ignited in 1996 when my daughter, Julia, passed away at 34 days of age, from late onset Group B Strep meningitis. Tragically, everything in her health care response that could go wrong, did go wrong. In September 1999, I cofounded Night Nurse to honor Julia. I was determined that, on my watch, I would do whatever it took to prevent any family ever having to experience the pain of losing a child.
As Night Nurse’s chief nursing officer (CNO), I am responsible for patient care on a broad level. I’m honored to lead an outstanding team of 125+ triage nurses who have delivered millions of good patient outcomes over 21 years. Every day, I ensure we give the highest-level quality care to every patient.
I enjoy mentoring our regional nurse managers and talking with RNs who consult me. I find it personally and professionally rewarding to be on-call and approachable, to coach, support, inspire nurses, and offer immediate solutions for issues.
My nursing career has provided me with decades of fulfillment. I’m very fortunate that my work is my passion, and my energy is restored every day. I’m grateful to our nurses for our company’s success, and for the enormous trust the medical community at large placed in me, to help patients in every way I can.
