Alice Marie-Smith, R.N

Registered Nurse, Pediatrics but currently assigned at Covid Test site (located in Northern Florida) 

The University of Texas, B.S.N of Nursing, PLAS certification, BLS certification, NRP certification

What inspired her to get into that field? 

After completing her years in the Army, she began her secondary education majoring in dental hygiene. She was inspired to switch to nursing while working in various jobs in the healthcare field while in school. Alice worked at a blood bank, where she learned that she was good around tons of blood and able to handle needles. She also worked at a pediatric office where she connected with the children instantly and helped around the office, completing different tasks. 

What was her path to her current job?

Alice began her career path after serving 8 years in the U.S. Army, she resided in Texas where she studied at the University of Texas, majoring in dental hygiene. While completing her studies, she worked at a blood bank and a pediatric office for a few years to gain experience. Eventually, Alice’s interest in pediatrics and love for children led her to find her calling to nursing. She changed her major and earned a B.S.N in Nursing at the University of Texas and relocated to Virginia. 

In Virginia, she worked at Riverside Regional Medical Center, floating around the pediatric floor for quite some years. Years later, Alice relocated to Florida as a travel nurse and spent a few years perfecting her craft and creating a new home. Currently, Alice works at Broward Health Medical Center as a full-time float nurse in pediatrics. During her time here, she has worked in pediatric oncology, neonatal, pediatric ICU, and mother-baby nursey departments.

Basic roles and responsibilities 

• Her basic roles and responsibilities include:
  • In the Neonatal department, she provided care for high-risk and premature patients whose ages range from birth to two months and tasked with patient assessments and development of care plans.
  • In the pediatric ICU department, she had many responsibilities, such as providing care, stabilizing patients’ health, and minimizing the health complications of infants, children, and young teens.  
  • In pediatric oncology, she provided care for adolescent cancer patients and daily responsibilities included patient evaluations, updating charts, monitoring treatment plans, and evaluating treatment effectiveness.

Her favorite (or most rewarding) aspect of the job

Alice’s favorite aspect of her job is when she was working in the pediatric ICU and saw the children recover from the sickness or when children maintain positive attitudes despite their health issues. For example, a young child that was born premature and seeing them able to grow into a healthy baby and leaving the hospital. 

What is the most surprising aspect of their career?

 The most surprising aspect of her career is seeing a young patient who comes in with extreme trauma and seeing them walk out the door within the next few hours, healthy and stable.  In her terms,“ Being able to see a tragedy turn into a miracle.” 

What is the most challenging aspect of their career?

Her most challenging aspect would be seeing kids that are born prematurely with birth defects and parents putting them in homes, leaving the children to an unbearable life. 

What advice would she would give to someone getting into the health field? 

Alice’s advice would be to do research and gain exposure before making the final decision. An unsure person should volunteer at hospitals and try to shadow a health professional to see if this is a field that you will enjoy.  “You not only have to have the heart for it, but also the stomach for it,” stated Alice.