As a nurse practitioner, I care for two very different patient populations. When I work in general pediatric hospital medicine, I serve families who may be experiencing their first time in the hospital. Their child comes to us with a new illness or problem, and I help put them on the road to recovery.

When I work with hospitalized complex care patients and families, I hope I can somehow make their journey a little brighter. These children tend to be in and out of the hospital with many medical needs. Their families know well how to care for them. I enjoy getting to know my complex care patients and families personally. We form bonds and I feel like I share a part of their lives.

I use a personalized bedside manner when caring for each of my patients. When I became a mom, it added an extra layer of empathy and understanding to my role as a nurse practitioner. I also enjoy getting to play with my patients while at work.

I wanted to work with children ever since I was a kid myself. Kids are just more fun. I always thought I wanted to be a pediatrician. When my grandmother was diagnosed with cancer when I was a teenager, I saw the world of inpatient hospital care. That inspired me to choose nursing as a way to provide patient care. As a nurse practitioner, I pair my nursing skills and knowledge to best care for patients.

When I’m not at work, I stay busy with my family — my husband, two children, two cats and a dog. My kids are involved in many sports, so I get to be their biggest fan. My husband and I sometimes help coach their teams. We also are active in our church. We teach and volunteer with the children’s and youth programs. Our happy place is my parents’ lake house at Dale Hollow Lake in Tennessee. We spend as much time as we can there fishing, boating, swimming and just hanging out.