Nightintales

Guest:

Guest

Belinda Aberle is an Advanced Public Health Nurse.

Guest

Shannon Mitchell went from deciding that she didn’t need to attend college to pursuing a career in nursing and becoming a certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA). Learn about Shannon’s path through the Army Reserves and how she translated the skills she learned there to her role as an advanced practice nurse. Shannon shares the nursing qualities that may suggest you will be a good fit for a CRNA, details regarding maintenance of her certification, and an explanation of the various roles a CRNA may fill across care environments. The enormous responsibilities associated with anesthesia as well as the exciting opportunities to provide this level of care are all considered in this interview with Shannon. You’ll love how thoughtfully Shannon prepared her final words of advice about receiving guidance, continuously learning, and recognizing that everyone has knowledge to contribute to our work.

Guest

Cindy Zarate is in a unique nursing role as a Gift of Life Donation Coordinator. She shares her nursing journey from a critical care registered nurse in both small community hospitals and large academic centers to intraoperative management of donors for Gift of Life. Cindy provides a detailed explanation of the technical work that is required of a donation coordinator as well as strategies for self-care to balance the challenges that come with care of families who have lost a loved one. During our time together, Cindy explained that her critical work with each donor serves eight additional recipient patients and their families. Take a listen as Cindy shares her passion for helping others in a less traditional way and highlights one of the many paths that you can take when nursing is your chosen profession.

Guest

Work in women’s health was always a goal of Elikem Amable’s. Elikem earned her BSN from Michigan State University and after gaining valuable nursing experience, graduated from the Certified Nurse Midwifery program at the University of Michigan. She describes her passion for working in labor and delivery, and the path that took her to becoming a Certified Nurse Midwife at Henry Ford Hospital. Elikem shares the value of her initial medical-surgical nursing experience and the transition that she made exactly 365 days following that first day of her nursing career. Elikem challenges new nurses to recognize that it’s not that things are “too hard, it’s that you’re uncomfortable with it” and emphasizes that good nurses seek out opportunities to learn as much as possible.

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Kyle Desrosiers is a dedicated pediatric nurse who has spent his nursing career so far caring for children with cancer and blood diseases and their families. Kyle describes his entry into pediatric nursing and the care that is required of chronically and critically ill children. Following some time on the inpatient unit, Kyle transitioned into a role that we may not see as often, the role of a nurse in the specialty clinic. Learn about the day-to-day activities of a clinic nurse and consider the highs and lows of a role such as this. Kyle describes his strategies for maintaining his enthusiasm for this work despite the more challenging days that he inevitably encounters.

Guest

Christine Reppke hasn’t always been a registered nurse in the emergency department, but it seems that she has found the right place for her to use her knowledge and skills to her highest potential! After graduating from Madonna University, Christine started her career in a combined pediatric and adult bone marrow transplant unit and recognized that although she always desired a pediatric nursing position, she actually really enjoyed working with adults. Once she had established some critical skills and expertise, Christine found herself looking for a different challenge with more day-to-day variety and identified an opportunity in an emergency department. Christine shares her experiences in the emergency department, from overcoming the initial feelings of intimidation to responding to the needs of a community during an unprecedented pandemic.

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Dr. Kelly Berishaj started her career as a critical and acute care nurse prior to transitioning into practice as a Forensic Nurse and clinical nurse specialist for the past seven years. Dr. Berishaj earned her BSN from Madonna University, her MSN in Nursing Education and Adult Health Clinical Nurse Specialist Certificate from the University of Michigan, and her Doctor of Nursing Practice from Oakland University in 2013. She has been a faculty member at Oakland University since 2007, where she currently serves as the director of the Forensic Nursing program, which is the first of its kind in the state of Michigan. Dr. Berishaj describes her role and share her experiences during this interview, as well as offering insight into the value of caring for yourself when caring for so many others.

Patrick Crane, DNP, AGPCNP

It is very timely to have Dr. Patrick Crane as our guest this week, as we prepare for the annual celebration of Florence Nightingale’s birthday. Learn about Dr. Crane’s unexpected journey to the profession of nursing and the “luck” (preparation and intentional pursuit of opportunities, really) that he believes he encountered as he entered his nursing career in an emergency department nurse residency.  He also describes his decision to pursue the Doctor of Nursing Practice clinical doctorate and the steps that led him to becoming an assistant professor, lead of the MSU nursing study abroad program in London, and a primary care practitioner.  Dr. Crane’s passion for this profession and intimate knowledge of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern-day nursing, is especially inspiring throughout this interview.

Guest

Kyla Bolden knew that she was meant to be a labor and delivery nurse from the time she entered nursing school…and that’s exactly what she became. Despite being told many times that she would not be able to enter that specialty as a new graduate or being encouraged to gain medical-surgical experience prior to applying for labor and delivery jobs, she has been supporting families and welcoming new babies into this world since her first nursing job at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Michigan. Learn about the strategies Kyla embraced to deviate from the traditional trajectories of nursing (medical surgical nursing for the first year) and consider the dedication that helped her land her dream job. The lessons that she learned are valuable for anyone considering a specialty that may be more challenging to enter and the resolve that she demonstrates is inspiring to us all!