A 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, surgical trauma ICU nurse Kayla Parker shares how she went from 11 years as a dental assistant to caring for critically ill patients at a Level I trauma center, and why mentoring new nurses has become one of the most rewarding parts of her career.

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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 decided to do an accelerated nursing bachelor's program. 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 RN

A day in my life

I work 12-hour day shifts from 7am to 7pm, 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.

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.

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

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