Nursing Profiles

Katherine B.

South Hill, VA
RN; Post-Anesthesia Care

I decided I wanted to be a nurse when I was 8 years old. My mother was sick and because I was the youngest child, I went with her to the hospital a lot. After many visits, I began to notice the nurses and their camaraderie. I saw how they took care not only of patients but also of the patients' families. That's when I realized that nurses are the backbone of patient care. One great thing about nursing is that with my degree I can work in so many different settings. Already I've worked on a medical-surgical floor, in the emergency room, and now in post-anesthesia care. I have my Master's degree in ER/trauma nursing and I will soon be certified as a post-anesthesia nurse. The Navy has been extremely supportive of my continuing education. The most challenging part of nursing is the critical thinking. In my area, we see patients after surgery. We have to put together all the pieces of the patient's symptoms and help them recover from surgery. The thing I noticed about nurses when I was young is still the best thing to this day-the camaraderie. I never know what to expect in my job, but I know that I am never alone. We work as a team and help each other out tremendously.