Nadine M. Nielsen, Nurse Practitioner
What’s the best thing about working at Seattle Children’s?
The kids. Kids are very resilient. It is fun to work with the kids and their families to help them recover.
What do you like most about the work you do in the Neurosurgery Division?
The Neurosurgery Division is exciting to work with because of the patients and their families. We are all continually learning new ways of treating difficult and complex diseases. Our group works well as a team and values each person’s contributions.
What makes Children’s Neurosurgery Division unique?
I think our division is unique because we care for our patients collaboratively. Complex patients often get to know all of the attending doctors, the three nurse practitioners and the resident. We all value what each has to contribute.
I think we are also unique in that our families have 24-hour-a-day/seven-day-a-week access to a provider. There is always someone on call that is willing to talk to a family and deal with an issue. Children who have urgent issues are seen the day we hear about the problem by one of the nurse practitioners.
What made you want to come to Children’s?
I had worked here as a staff nurse and head nurse in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) for 12 years. Then, I became a nurse practitioner. Returning to Children’s Neurosurgery Division seemed like a great fit for me with my critical-care background. Neurosurgery is a complex and interesting area, one where the learning never ends.
What do people say when they find out you work here?
Children’s is really an old establishment in Seattle. People still often call it “COH,” or Children’s Orthopedic Hospital. I was here in those days. People are often amazed that I could work with sick kids for so long, but they also comment that it must be fun and rewarding work.