Nursing Profiles

Katie M.

Baltimore, MD
RN; Surgical Orthopedics

My mom was a nurse, so I knew that a nursing career would provide me with steady work, good pay and excellent benefits. However, it wasn’t until I was in nursing school that I realized how wonderful being a nurse really was. Patient interaction is the best part of being a nurse. Receiving gratitude from a patient is a wonderful feeling. I chose to become a surgical nurse because I wanted to work with patients who would be in the hospital for a short amount of time, then get better and go back to their lives. Patients have complex issues and as their nurse I can help take care of all their needs. I manage their care while they are on the ward, but beyond that I take care of insurance issues, like doing their case management and discharge planning. I have leadership roles within the hospital as well; I chair a committee and orient new staff members to the ward. I have 100 percent job security and the educational benefits are great. Johns Hopkins Hospital offers full tuition reimbursement and my supervisor works with me to ensure my schedule can accommodate my classes. Nursing has been exciting for me both professionally and personally. Professionally, I have progressed from a new nurse, being scared to make a mistake, to being a leader on the floor. I’m now pursuing a master’s degree, and have earned salary increases along the way. On the personal side, I have helped patients get better and there is no greater reward than that.