From student nurse extern to registered nurse, discover Leah’s career journey at Northwell Health

Dec 22, 2025/in Career Paths, Featured Articles, Nursing /by mperlman

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From student nurse extern to registered nurse, discover Leah’s career journey at Northwell Health

At Northwell Health, our nursing team members demonstrate compassionate, innovative care for our patients. We foster our nurses’ professional journeys by offering educational opportunities and work experience to gain new skills for continued success. Read on to learn more about Leah, one of our dedicated registered nurses (RNs) at Northwell’s Northern Westchester Hospital.

Leah began her career journey at Northwell Health in 2019 as a student nurse extern in Northern Westchester Hospital’s post-anesthesia care unit (PACU). In this role, under RN supervision, Leah closely monitored patients’ vital signs, performed basic care tasks and reported any changes in condition. She also supported her unit operations by documenting observations and facilitating efficient patient flow, applying what she learned in the classroom to clinical practice.

This led Leah to her next role in 2020 as a critical care RN fellow in Northern Westchester Hospital’s intensive care unit (ICU). In this role, Leah provided care for critically ill patients by monitoring and interpreting data from life-support systems, including heart monitors and breathing machines. She was responsible for acting quickly in emergencies and worked with physicians and other hospital team members to provide compassionate patient care. She learned advanced techniques and gained critical thinking skills, which helped her obtain her critical care RN certification in 2021 and led her to graduate from her program and transition from an RN fellow to an RN in the same hospital and unit.

She also performed frequent in-depth assessments to detect any changes in patient status and administered medications. Working in the ICU, Leah was skilled in crisis management, offering emotional support, education and advocacy for patients and their families. Building confidence in this role, Leah pursued training as a charge nurse, preceptor and rapid response team nurse. Leah shared, “In my transition from the intensive care unit to the cardiac catheterization lab, I was supported by leadership, my colleagues and the entire nursing education department.”

Today, Leah is responsible for caring for patients undergoing cardiac or electrophysiology procedures. She monitors patients before their operation by conducting pre-procedure assessments and administering medications. During the procedure, she monitors patients’ vital signs and assists the physicians. Post-procedure, Leah monitors the access site for complications and ensures patient pain management and discharge.

Since joining Northwell, Leah is grateful that her goals have been discussed and are supported by her nurse manager. She has leveraged many opportunities to advance her career, from her critical care registered nursing certification to her involvement in the Nurse Recruitment, Retention and Credentialing Council, which develops meaningful recognition strategies to celebrate credentialed RNs. She is also thankful for her team and their encouragement along her career journey, as well as for the many programs and resources Northwell offers its team members, such as tuition assistance and reimbursement programs and student loan refinancing. “I love my team’s culture of care and the overwhelming support we receive every day. Our team provides high-quality, patient-centered care because we, as team members, are cared for as well,” said Leah.

Discover a career well cared for in nursing with Northwell Health today.

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Explore two different career paths starting as medical assistants at Northwell Health.

Dec 09, 2025/in Career Paths, Clinical Support, Featured Articles /by kaiello

Explore two different career paths, starting as a medical assistant at Northwell Health.

At Northwell, we believe your career should be a dynamic journey. We invest in our team members by offering resources from comprehensive well-being programs to providing ongoing professional development. When you explore a career well cared for with our team as a medical assistant, you’ll find a fulfilling career path with opportunities to expand your clinical skills, pursue new certifications and advance your career.

Medical assistants prepare patients for the physician, administering, obtaining and recording diagnostic laboratory test results. They assist in coordinating the organization of care to meet patient needs, including preparing, organizing and filing reports into the medical record. Here are the qualifications required for a medical assistant position at Northwell:

High school diploma or equivalent required.
Completion of a medical assistant training program with a certificate.

One to three (1-3) years of experience as a medical assistant, emergency medical technician or certified nursing attendant (with a valid certificate).

Successful completion of the Northwell Health Medical Assistant training program.

Ready to explore a career at Northwell? Below, learn how you can begin your journey as a medical assistant and see how Holly and Karla took different paths, listed below. Their inspiring career journeys demonstrate how a starting role as a medical assistant can unlock many career paths within Northwell. Discover a career well cared for as a medical assistant.

For the complete job profiles of each role, we invite you to visit NorthwellCareers.com or view our available medical assistant roles here.

Holly’s Career Path

2012 – Medical Assistant, Northwell Health Physician Partners
2014 – Senior Medical Assistant, Northwell Health Physician Partners
2018 – Coordinator, Administrative Operations, Northwell Health
2020 – Associate Product Services and Management Analyst, Northwell Health
2022 – Product Services and Management Analyst, Northwell Health
Current position – Senior Product Services and Management Analyst, Northwell Health

Click here to learn more about Holly’s career journey at Northwell.

Karla’s Career Path

2016 – Certified Medical Assistant, Cardiology, Phelps Hospital
2018 – Certified Medical Assistant, Endocrinology, Phelps Hospital
2019 – Patient Care Associate, Medical/Surgical, Phelps Hospital
Current position – Registered Nurse, Phelps Hospital

Click here to learn more about what a day in the life of a medical assistant looks like.

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A career journey fueled by compassion in behavioral health

Dec 04, 2025/in Career Paths, Featured Articles, Social Services /by mperlman

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A career journey fueled by compassion in behavioral health

At Northwell Health, our behavioral health team members provide services and resources at every stage of care for individuals affected by mental health and/or addictionRead on to learn more about Lauren Kolonoskie, a Truly Compassionate behavioral health supervisor at Mather Hospital.

Lauren began her career journey with Northwell Health in 2017 as a behavioral health social worker at Mather Hospital’s outpatient mental health clinic. In this role, she provided counseling and crisis intervention, inclusive of action and discharge plans, to patients and families to help improve their wellbeing. As part of her role, she also served as a patient advocate, helping them navigate through any potential barriers they may be facing.

This experience helped Lauren with her current role as a behavioral health supervisor at Mather Hospital’s outpatient clinic. In this role, Lauren provides evidence-based mental health treatment to a individuals and supports clinic directors with administrative tasks related to daily operations. In addition, Lauren supervises, provides guidance, and education to social workers at the outpatient clinic so they can deliver the best patient care.

Since joining Northwell, Lauren has leveraged resources and opportunities to advance her career. With the support of her leaders and fellow team members, she’s felt motivated to continue learning and has participated in educational trainings. One training offered her a way to enhance her skills as a clinician on topics including trauma, grief, obsessive compulsive disorder and substance abuse. “I love the opportunities Northwell offers to support my career growth, such as professional development and leadership training. I am glad that I can engage in wellness programs and that my fellow team members motivate me to keep learning,” said Lauren.

Lauren is passionate about contributing to Northwell’s mission to provide care to our team members and the communities we serve, and she is involved in programs Northwell offers as part of our Center for Traumatic Stress, Resilience and Recovery. These programs offer resources, education and training on how to manage and identify stress in workplaces across our communities.

Discover a career well cared for in behavioral health with Northwell Health today.

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