Nurse Profiles

Read about a few of our outstanding nurses, and learn why they choose to work at the forefront of nursing excellence.

• Rachel Gerritsen, cardiology
• Ed Heimberg, perioperative services
• Richelle Howell, cardiology
• Latrice Johnson, general medicine
• Amy Westbrook, cardiothoracic surgery

Rachel Gerritsen, RN

For Rachel Gerritsen, a cardiology nurse, working at the University of Chicago Medical Center is worth the 30-mile commute from Indiana. "Here, I have a chance to see things I wouldn't see at other hospitals," she says. During her 1998 externship, Gerritsen was intrigued by the nursing opportunities available at the Medical Center. She knew she wanted to work with a diverse population that would expose her to a broad variety of patient care experiences.

"I love teaching my patients about their disease process and medications," Gerritsen says. She views patient and family interaction as significant components of nursing excellence. "I like to laugh with patients and see them go home on a good note," she says. "It's a good feeling when a patient's family tells me I made a difference."

Gerritsen continuously enhances her leadership skills by training new nurses and serving on Medical Center committees. As a member of the Falls Prevention Task Force, she has presented information at the Medical Center's Nursing Research Symposium.

Gerritsen enjoys working with other nurses who value teamwork. "We work well together--especially in emergency situations," she says. "Each patient is everyone's patient."

Ed Heimberg, RN

Ed Heimberg, a pediatric perioperative services nurse, enjoys the challenge of working at a world-class medical center. "If you're going to work anywhere, why not work at the best?" says Heimberg. He joined the Medical Center in 1998 and has since worked in several care centers, including hematology/oncology.

In 2005, after working five years in the adult intensive care unit (ICU), he transferred to perioperative services in the University of Chicago Comer Children's Hospital. "The Medical Center offered me this opportunity to explore a different realm of nursing," he says. In his current role, Heimberg has gained a unique perspective on healthcare. While enjoying his interaction with the pediatric population, he continues to work in the adult ICU once a week. "This way, I can expand my skills in pediatrics and continue to build experience in adult critical care," Heimberg says.

Heimberg works hand-in-hand with some of the nation's top physicians. "It's nice to know that many of the physicians you're working with are literally writing the medical books," he adds. Working in an environment rich with innovation and leading edge research means Heimberg is always learning new things. "We care for patients with extremely rare cancers, sometimes with incidences of one in 500,000," he notes. "The experience is very valuable."

Heimberg also enjoys the autonomy and respect he has as a Medical Center nurse. "The physicians truly value the opinions of nurses. They really appreciate our input," he says.

Richelle Howell, RN

Richelle Howell takes pride in treating all patients with respect and dignity. "I believe all patients are VIPs," she says. With more than 20 years of cardiology nursing experience, she is a patient care veteran with a good sense of humor. Howell has worked with many critical patients, exceeding their expectations by meeting both physical and emotional needs. "You can calm a person down with humor," she says. "I try to make sure they're comfortable and not in pain, providing whatever they need to make their hospital stays better."

For as long as Howell can remember, she aspired to be a nurse. "I think I'm a natural caregiver," she says, counting her kind heart and friendly personality among important nursing skills.

She started at the Medical Center in 1989 and has witnessed the organization's progress in medical innovation and technological advancement. "It doesn't get routine," says Howell, who completed her bachelor's of science in nursing (BSN) with assistance from the Medical Center's educational benefits for nurses. "There's always something new coming down the pipe." For her, this is one of the advantages of working at an academic medical center. "We have a very good group of nurses--very skilled and very knowledgeable because it's a learning hospital," she says. "And, they're always keeping abreast of the latest technology. That promotes excellence."

Latrice Johnson, RN

Latrice Johnson, a general medicine nurse, aims to meet her patients' needs with customized care. "Every day I do my best to give each patient the care they want to receive," she says. Drawing from childhood memories of her favorite nurse--who she remembers as gentle and friendly--Johnson is committed to encouraging and educating her patients. "A good nurse must be willing to go above and beyond to give the patients the unexpected," she says.

Johnson values opportunities to learn from the highly experienced nurses on her team. "Some of my co-workers have 25 to 30 years of nursing experience, and several of them have master's degrees," says Johnson, who is currently pursuing two master's degrees--one in nursing administration, the other in healthcare informatics. The Medical Center's educational benefits have helped her to move forward with this goal.

Since starting at the Medical Center in 2000, Johnson has expanded her knowledge of diverse opportunities and career paths within the field of nursing. She serves as a quality resource nurse, representing her unit on the Medical Center's Nursing Quality Council. In this role, Johnson is directly involved in gathering, analyzing, and presenting information related to nursing quality improvement projects.

In 2005, she helped track the progress of a pain management protocol that led to significant increase in patient satisfaction scores. According to Johnson, this optimal outcome was achieved through teamwork. "It's nice to accomplish something as a team," she says. "Everyone does their part."

Amy Westbrook, RN

Amy Westbrook's first choice for work after nursing school was the University of Chicago Medical Center. While in school, she spent a few months working as a nurse extern in the Medical Center's cardiac care center. "I really loved the challenge," Westbrook says. "The environment here is very stimulating." Her career path at the Medical Center has included a critical care nurse educator position and staff nurse positions in cardiology and cardiac intensive care.

As a Medical Center nurse, Westbrook received educational benefits that helped her to complete her master's of science in nursing (MSN) in 2004. In her current role as a patient care manager in cardiothoracic surgery, she enjoys mentoring the nurses on her unit. "It's nice to see new graduate nurses grow, learn, and develop clinical skills," Westbrook says. Committed to improving the quality of patient care, she is also assisting with the implementation of strategies developed for the Medical Emergency Team Pilot (Rapid Response Team)--a group assembled through an initiative to optimize patient outcomes in the Medical Center.

Another rewarding aspect of her job is to see patients who were once critically ill regain their health and come back to thank the staff and share stories. "It's amazing to watch the patients' progress," Westbrook says. "It shows that our hard work and collaboration with the doctors, social workers, and other staff truly helped the patient's outcome."

In 1998, Westbrook received the Queenan Award, the Medical Center's highest honor for nurses. The award is dedicated to the memory of James Queenan, who died of leukemia. It is awarded to one or two nurses each year who display exceptional skill in the clinical practice of nursing. Nurses nominate their peers for the award. Winners receive a plaque, recognition at a special ceremony, and a monetary supplement for educational benefits.

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