Former Dental Assistant Now Saves Lives in a Trauma ICU

A day in the life of a critical care nurse devoted to healing the seriously injured.

Welcome to Nurse Ascent, a twice-weekly newsletter created by nurses for nurses. This week, a critical care nurse shares her journey from dental assistant to caring for trauma patients. We also share job opportunities, and cover Cardinal Health, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and cutbacks on big retail pharmacies.

But first, a reminder to breathe deep during the chaotic moments...

Stevi Jo

Icu Nurse Life #nurse #nursehumor #icunurse #ernurse #Meme #MemeCut #CapCut

♬ original sound - MommaTea1014

Nurse Spotlight: Kayla Parker, RN, BSN, Surgical Trauma ICU nurse

What I do for work

I work as a critical care nurse in the surgical trauma ICU at a level one trauma center in South Carolina. Each day is different as we care for patients with severe traumas, such as gunshot wounds, stabbings, motor vehicle accidents, or any other trauma that requires critical care interventions like vasopressors, intubation, or resuscitation. We also monitor patients requiring complex trauma surgeries like Whipple procedures and Ivor Lewis's.

How I got here

I worked as a dental assistant for eleven years. The dentist that I was working with at the time encouraged me to go further with my education. I’ve always been interested in science and wanted to pursue a career in healthcare. I was a young mom when I started in the dental field, and in 2021, I was finally in a position where I could return to school since my daughter was more self-efficient. I then decided to do an accelerated nursing bachelor's program to expedite the journey since this was a second career. Once I graduated, I started working in an ICU at a sister hospital to the one I'm at now. So it was the same system, just a smaller caliber, and it was a good launchpad for me, because we had a lot of step-down level patients, but I also got to see Med Surg patients and those requiring Telemetry. After that, I became critical care trained, a course that was provided by the hospital.

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More on Kayla Parker

A day in my life

I work 12-hour day shifts from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., sometimes longer. We start with a morning huddle and report. In the ICU, we conduct frequent assessments tailored to each patient. For neuro patients, we do hourly assessments and charting, including intakes and outputs, along with documenting patient repositioning. For basic critical care patients, we perform full head-to-toe assessments three times per shift. Some days are busy, requiring us to accompany patients to get an MRI or CT scan, while managing multiple IV pumps, medications, and ventilators, along with a respiratory therapist. At times, we focus on stabilizing patients during their healing process. If a patient codes, things get hectic quickly. Occasionally, I’ll have a patient needing continuous renal replacement therapy; that assignment is one-to-one. My unit is responsible for a large part of the hospital in responding to rapid responses and medical emergencies, so if I am on code duty that day, I will have to manage those responses in addition to my individual nursing tasks.

What aspect of your job do you find most rewarding?

Since becoming a nurse, I've fallen in love with education. So, I currently precept new nurses. I also did critical care clinicals for a local college nursing school. I really love that aspect of it. I feel like I learn something every time I teach because people have questions that maybe I've never thought of. I also love seeing the ambition and drive of new nurses.

My self-care routine (or what I do for fun, or to relax)

I have lots of hobbies. I love anything to do with being outside, especially in the summertime. I like activities like camping. I also play guitar. So sometimes, I’ll just sit and play. Those are the ways I like to unwind.

Headlines in Healthcare

Cardinal Health to Acquire Solaris Health in $1.9B Deal

Cardinal Health is buying Solaris Health, one of the nation’s largest urology service networks, for $1.9 billion in cash. The deal is part of the company’s push into specialty care following last year’s oncology expansion. The announcement came alongside weaker quarterly earnings, which sent shares down nearly 6%.

VA Faces Major Staffing Losses

The Department of Veterans Affairs has lost thousands of frontline healthcare workers in recent years, including registered nurses, doctors, and mental health specialists. Critics say policy changes and hiring freezes have fueled the departures, raising concerns about longer wait times and reduced care for veterans.

Big Retail Pharmacies Cut Back on Services

Walmart, CVS, and Walgreens are scaling back healthcare offerings nationwide. Walmart is closing all its health clinics, CVS is ending hundreds of services and pulling out of the ACA insurance market in 17 states, and Walgreens plans to shut down 1,300 VillageMD clinics. The cutbacks have sparked concerns over reduced access to care, especially in underserved areas.

Meet the author:
Renee DLamini
(RN, BSN, Writer)

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