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.