Mercy Cardiology - 1300 Centennial

I chose to work in cardiology because I have a family history of cardiovascular disease. Every patient has as story, and they're all interesting stories. I love the time I get to spend with my patients, and I like being a part of their stories. I think every patient has a right to access high-quality health care, regardless of race, religion or socioeconomic status.

I love helping people, so I felt like nursing was a great career fit for me because I could do the most amount of good. I went into women's health because I felt a real connection with women during my clinicals. I want my patients to know they can trust me with sensitive subjects, and I'm going to listen to all of their problems and help them stay healthy.

Cardiovascular disease is the most prevalent disease and also where progress is the fastest. I get to serve a lot of people and also see rapid advancement in science. In the last 15 years, there's been a lot of advances in coronary intervention, like shockwave lithotripsy which we use to break up calcium inside coronary arteries. Previously we had ruler devices and now we have a balloon that does the same thing and is simpler to operate. We need to listen to people. Patients often feel that they go to a physician's office and they don't get the time to express all their issues. We listen to them, and then we explain our plan in lay terms. Patients may not understand the nature of that problem and the treatment we propose. This is a common deficiency in physicians' offices. We listen and explain.