Why I chose to pursue a career in healthcare:

I have always had a very strong interest in the medical field. Instead of watching cartoons as a child, I would find myself watching medical shows, admiring the nurses and doctors. I always enjoyed going to the doctors for checkups and visiting people in the hospital never made me scared or nervous as it does for many people. I chose the nursing profession because I wanted to be active at my patients' bedside doing my best to nurse them back to health and help them through their difficult hospital stay. During my nursing school rotation, I spent a day in the NICU and immediately knew that's where I wanted to focus my nursing career. I practiced as a NICU nurse for 6 years and went on to further my education as a neonatal nurse practitioner.

What I want my patients to know about me:

I understand that having a baby in the NICU can be extremely difficult and can be quite the roller coaster ride. Parents grieve the loss of a normal pregnancy, normal labor and delivery, and are not able to experience the normal bonding process with their new baby. I want to help make parents' NICU journey as smooth as possible, keeping them fully informed and allowing them to feel as though they are an important part in their child's care.

What I do when I'm not seeing patients:

I enjoy hunting, fishing and being outdoors. The beach is my absolute favorite place to be. I also really love attending country music concerts and festivals. In my free time I like to read, play board games, watch movies, weight lift and try out new restaurants. I have a German Shepard named Rex who I spend a lot of time with taking for walks and playing fetch.