Tiny Patients

One nurse thought this career wasn't meant for her until she found the NICU and never looked back

Welcome to Nurse Ascent, a twice-weekly newsletter created by nurses, for nurses. This week, one nurse shares her deep hesitancy towards nursing during her BSN program, until luck landed her in an internship that changed her mind forever. We also discuss the United State's plan to burn $10 million in contraceptives, an initiative to potentially make access to health records easier, and ACOG's divestment from federal funding.

But first, let's check in on that summer heatwave...

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Nurse Spotlight: Jackie Contreras RN, BSN, RNC-NIC, CLC

What I do for work

I’m a neonatal intensive care nurse working on level 4 NICU at a children’s hospital. My unit provides the highest level of care available for premature and critically ill newborns. What I love about specializing in NICU is the level of compassion and kindness that the whole unit has for these patients. They are so resilient and everyone around them, staff and family included, are loving and supportive in a way that I think is really special and rewarding.

How I got here

In college, I had no idea what I wanted to pursue. Without knowing anything about being a nurse, I switched my math major to take a chance on nursing. After I was admitted to a competitive BSN program, I couldn’t fight this feeling that I wasn’t sure I should be here. During the program, I was chosen to do a 2-year internship that rotated between postpartum, L&D, then NICU. I liked all 3 rotations, but fell in love with NICU and never looked back. I got a new graduate RN position as a NICU nurse and have been here ever since.

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Featured Jobs

🩺 NICU RN, TriStar Summit Medical Center Hermitage, TN ​Apply Now​ →​

☤ NICU RN, Grand Strand Medical Center Myrtle Beach, SC ​Apply Now​ →​

♡ NICU RN, Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center Idaho Falls, ID ​Apply Now​ →​

💉 New Grad RN Resident NICU, St. David’s Medical Center Austin, TX ​Apply Now​ →​

🩹 NNP - NICU, CHRISTUS Health Tyler, TX ​Apply Now​ →​

🩸 RN - NICU, Ascension Milwaukee, WI ​Apply Now​ →​

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More on Jackie Contreras

A day in my life

On my unit, the patients widely vary in acuity, so my shifts widely vary as well. Some are admitted for a couple of days and others may spend 15 months with us. The shifts that I enjoy the most are ones I’m assigned as a primary nurse to a long-term patient to provide more consistency in their care team. I like this opportunity to know the patient and their needs well, bond deeper with the family, and gain a stronger sense of when things start to go wrong with the patient’s condition.

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

I’ve always considered myself a social introvert and find after working such highly involved shifts, that I’m so tired and crave rest. Luckily, on my days off, I absolutely love to stay home and spend time with my two cats - sitting with them outside on the patio while reading a mystery crime book or enjoying the sun. A few years ago I found a Pilates instructor I adore for how she brings mindfulness to a workout. Along with strength building, I like how her classes focus on the breath and a deeper awareness of the body.

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Headlines in Healthcare

Price to Burn

The Trump administration is set to pay over $160K to burn $10 million worth of contraceptives that were previously meant to be shipped over seas. When USAID was recently shut down by administration's office, these contraceptive pills, implants and IUD got stuck in a Belgian warehouse. The U.N.'s reproductive agency offered to pay for the supplies, at no cost to the U.S., but the Trump administration has rejected the offer due to concerns about the USAID-branded supplies being rerouted.

Modernizing Health Info

Trump and his top health officials are pursuing a new initiative that would allow people to share their personal health and medical records with doctors and hospitals. Supporters argue that this would reduce paperwork and make it easier for patients to access their full health records. Others are hesitant to share their private health information with public firms that will attempt to sell products based on a person's health information.

Self Funded

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) has divested itself from receiving federal funding after Trump's recent slash of DEI initiatives as well as other health policy changes. The nation's largest OB-GYN organization states that the federal policies no longer align with their work and have since decided to cut ties with federal funding in order to continue moving forward using evidence-based guidance.

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Meet the author:
​Katie Scoggins
(RN, BSN & Health Writer)

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