I'm a nurse on the cardiovascular unit here, so I take care of patients every day.
What's the best part of being a nurse on this unit?
I think everyone is focused on teamwork, and they've created a supportive environment. So I just feel like there's someone around to back me up here. Up here is the main nurse's station.
I noticed you have this nice little decoration going on.
I actually decorated this one. Every month, we decorate it with something new, so this is "April showers bring May flowers."
You mentor some students, right, and some new nurses? Why is that important to you?
I was in nursing school about two years ago, so I know how hard and stressful it can be. And I like to make it a little bit more fun and less overwhelming.
There are so many places to work in health care. Why U of U Health?
I did all my clinicals here during nursing school, specifically in this hospital, so I got to experience how nice and welcoming everyone was. And I really loved the focus on education.
What do you think makes someone a great nurse?
Listening to patients, respecting them, treating them as real people and not just tasks that you have to complete throughout the day should be the main focus.
What's one thing that people misunderstand about nurses?
There's always something going on, so if we can't make it to a room right away, we haven't forgotten, and we'll get there.
I hear you have something special in the locker room.
Yeah! Just this way. Right here! Everything's close around here. And then my locker is right here. It relates back to that board out there that we decorate. Right now it's butterflies, and it's like a Thanksgiving... Christmas... different times of year.
Why don't you tell me about a moment in your life that made you decide that you wanted to be a nurse?
My mom is a nurse, so I watched her and saw how fulfilled she was with the job. So she kind of made it seem like a really desirable career path. And I really look up to my mom, so I decided to follow in her footsteps.
Tell me about a patient moment that you will never forget.
I had one patient who we were keeping for a couple extra days just to monitor, and he was doing fine. But every night he would call me in for a secret party, and it ended up being an ice cream party, where he'd give me ice cream and we'd walk around the halls and eat ice cream together.
Overall, what's your favorite feel-good jam?
Literally anything by Taylor Swift.
What's your favorite way to decompress after a shift?
I usually go straight to sleep. And then every day I don't work, I go to a barre class. It's like a cardio, strength, stretching, mindfulness kind of workout class.
Well, that's it. Thank you so much for showing us your world.
Nice talking with you!
Video by Jhonny Larrocha; Photos by Niki Chan Wylie
