Today we’re turning the spotlight on Kristina Jarvis, MSN, an ER nurse in the Boston area. She’s talking about her passion for public health, addiction awareness, and community work.

What is your specialty and where are you based?

Emergency medicine.

How did you choose this specialty? What drew you to it?

I began in the float pool and started floating to the emergency department and responding to codes within the hospital. Being near the high intensity situations drew me in and I’ve had a love for critical care since.

Before working in your current role, what was your nursing career path?

I initially thought I’d like to work with pediatrics and I definitely still get to time to time, but I fell into the role of working with acute care/ adults for my first job and love it. Getting to critically think about patients and be involved with decision making is something I’m so lucky to be able to participate with in my current role.

What current events in the nursing field are you most passionate about?

Ventilator associated pneumonia prevention and care for the acute trauma patient.

Any self care or mental health tips for new nurses?

Allow yourself to have a day time to time... You can’t be positive, in the zone, or perfect every day. Allowing yourself the ability to feel or respond emotionally to what’s going on around you is human. Also there is never a stupid question. I often precept new staff into the ER and I hear that line frequently. A question shows initiative, that you want to learn instead of assuming you already know how to do something!

What's one must-have that gets you through the tough days?

Lexicomp is amazing. Helps me get through Med reconciliations and IV comparability with critical care meds.

Ideally, where do you see yourself in 5 years?

As a critical care nurse practitioner hopefully successful and having been part of studies improving current and future practice in emergency medicine.

What would you say is the single biggest challenge nurses face today?

Time management. It’s always an issue, especially now since hospitals are often facing over-crowding and higher acuity patients.

Did you/do you currently have any nursing mentors guiding you?

I definitely look up to the senior nurses in my department and some of the female physicians empowering women in medicine: that’s part of why I went back and got my APRN.

Have you ever taken a role in nursing advocacy/volunteering outside of your job? Why or why not?

I have worked with some homeless shelters in the Boston area. I do wish I volunteered more, I was in grad school and working full time which made extra time non existent for a few years.

What was your best day as a nurse? Worst? What did you learn from either?

Best day as a nurse was graduation. It’s the first time I felt like I had made it. Worst day was losing my first patient. He was 24, my age at the time. It was unexpected and broke my heart. Still think about him daily.

True or False: “Nurses eat their young.”

False. I feel that most nurses have a strong desire to teach others. That’s part of our job description and what draws some to nursing. It’s a huge part of our day to day.

Given the opportunity to speak to yourself on Day 1 of nursing school, what advice would you give?

Don’t give up, it definitely gets better. The work you’re doing now will make everything in the future worth it.

What current events outside of nursing are you most passionate about?

I really like learning about public health and how underprivileged communities can benefit from small interventions.

Is there anything you'd like to talk about that we didn't include in our questions?

Please be aware and open to talk about addiction awareness. Working in the ER I witness and am apart of some difficult situations. I also lost my youngest sister to an overdose. Always remember: it doesn’t have to end like this, there is hope.