National Nurses Week: SEMO nursing graduate headed to neonatal unit in St. Louis

Family drove Alyssa Heller toward a degree in nursing, but her experience and education at Southeast Missouri State University helped her choose her specialty and land her first job.

Heller remembers her grandfather's cancer diagnosis and her brother's Type 1 diabetes diagnosis, both of which she witnessed in her childhood. Both situations introduced her to the medical world and made her realize the role nurses play in families' lives.

"It made me want to be that person for someone else someday," Heller said.

Now she's graduating from Southeast Missouri State University on Saturday, May 13, with her nursing degree. Heller, originally from Red Bud, Illinois, had the opportunity to do practicum clinical and externships during her time at SEMO. It was her practicum clinical in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit that drove her toward the decision to choose neonatal nursing.

"Being there helped me realize how much I love to take care of the babies," Heller said. "Getting to send the babies home is such a huge accomplishment for both the family and the health care team."

Her career will begin at Children's Hospital in St. Louis, which is a level IV NICU, offering the highest level of medical care for newborns and premature infants available.

Heller was able to do an externship in St. Louis as well, focusing more on adult health before she got licensed. Even these are skills she's taking into her next step.

In a career as intense as neonatal intensive care, Heller said she knows the skills will be needed.

"Overall, you learn multiple skills in nursing school that can help you on multiple different levels," Heller said. "I personally think that learning the skills of therapeutic communication is the biggest one that I have taken with me. Talking to these babies' parents is already hard because they don't want to see their baby in the NICU, but having that communication skill set is what helps them and the team stay calm."