Hometown: Springfield
Job Title: Registered Nurse, Paramedic, Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner
Where do you Work: Mercy Health-Springfield Regional Medical Center
Describe what your day is like/what you do: I work in the Cardiac Cath Lab, where we perform heart catheters, angioplasty and stenting for various arteries in the body. We also perform aortic valve replacement and abdominal aortic aneurysm repair, all by entering the artery with a small tube called a sheath. I also work in the emergency room responding to victims of sexual assault. I am also a founding member of a newly formed Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force of Clark County.
What inspired you to get into health care? I first took a job at the hospital after going through employment services, but I soon found myself loving to be a part of the action. I became a paramedic working in the ER and then felt I wanted to do more, so I became a nurse 13 years later. I love learning new innovative ways to help people live more productive lives.
Health Care Hero: ‘I became a nurse to make a difference’
What's a memorable experience you've had in health care? Every time a person comes in with a heart attack, in a great deal of pain and feeling really crummy, then we open up the artery and they start feeling better. That to me is so rewarding and many times emotional for the patient.
What do you want readers to know about your job right now? I love what I do — I love being able to help save a life and by doing that allow them to return to their loved ones.
Health Care Hero: ‘I really love my job’