Katrina Shanesy, MSN, APRN, NNP

As a nurse practitioner, I care for infants up to age two. There is nothing easy about being in the Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU) for infants or their families. We provide the best medical care while simultaneously supporting the family during an incredibly stressful, trying time.

I was inspired to be a nurse because I've always been interested in the medical profession. I wanted to be able to help people in a concrete, hands-on way. One of my nursing clinical rotations was in a NICU, where I fell in love with that patient population.

In NICUs, I provide highly specialized care for critically ill infants, including surgical care or infants needing specialty consult services. I believe we owe it to the family of an infant to thoroughly and clearly communicate why and what we are doing and to partner with the family in every aspect of care. They will be the people caring for this tiny person for the rest of their life, so they need to be fully informed and participating in the medical care.

When I’m not at work, I love to spend time with my husband and our two children. We like to go on hikes, eat delicious food and go to concerts.