My name is Kristin Howard, and I am a 4th generation nurse. I have grown up with some amazing nursing role models in my mother and grandmother, nursing is in my blood. I’ve wanted to work in healthcare for as long as I can remember (I was that child who was frequently found bandaging up the cat or pretending to administer shots to my brother). I began working in the nursing field in high school as a CNA. I completed my BSN at The University of Missouri – St. Louis on a tennis scholarship.
I worked as a bedside NICU nurse for two years before going on to earn my MSN as a Neonatal Nurse Practitioner at Regis University. I have been working as an NNP for almost five years and completed my DNP last summer at The University of Minnesota. I currently work in the NICUs at Children’s Hospital Colorado and The University of Colorado Hospital. The NICU is a world few people know exists. The good days can be full of miracles and the bad days can bring you to your knees but I couldn’t imagine working anywhere else!
I have spent the majority of my career in school and not been able to be as actively involved with NANN as I would like. Working on this blog creates an exciting opportunity for me to get more involved with our national organization, as well as, work to get others involved. NANN represents our voice on a national level and we must ensure a strong foundation on which it can stand. I don’t know exactly where I see myself in five years.
I am open to new challenges and opportunities and will be ready to tackle them as they arise. I am a firm believer in leading by example. I hold myself to a high standard and don’t expect others to do anything that I am not willing to do myself. I hope to help encourage new neonatal nurses, NNPs and DNPs as a mentor, teacher, and resource.
I worked as a bedside NICU nurse for two years before going on to earn my MSN as a Neonatal Nurse Practitioner at Regis University. I have been working as an NNP for almost five years and completed my DNP last summer at The University of Minnesota. I currently work in the NICUs at Children’s Hospital Colorado and The University of Colorado Hospital. The NICU is a world few people know exists. The good days can be full of miracles and the bad days can bring you to your knees but I couldn’t imagine working anywhere else!
I have spent the majority of my career in school and not been able to be as actively involved with NANN as I would like. Working on this blog creates an exciting opportunity for me to get more involved with our national organization, as well as, work to get others involved. NANN represents our voice on a national level and we must ensure a strong foundation on which it can stand. I don’t know exactly where I see myself in five years.
I am open to new challenges and opportunities and will be ready to tackle them as they arise. I am a firm believer in leading by example. I hold myself to a high standard and don’t expect others to do anything that I am not willing to do myself. I hope to help encourage new neonatal nurses, NNPs and DNPs as a mentor, teacher, and resource.