Dr. Nicole Fazio knew early in her nursing career that she wanted to become an NP.
“As an undergrad Pitt Nursing student, I was exposed to so many incredible advanced practice nurses, either as faculty or during clinical rotations,” she said. “I remember thinking how impressive and important their role seemed.”
Fast forward to 2023, Dr. Fazio currently works as an NP at Magee-Womens Hospital in the newborn nursery setting, primarily doing inpatient rounds on newborns. She’s also part of Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh’s General Academic Pediatrics service, which gives her a lot of time with pediatric and family practice medical residents completing their newborn rotation.
“Nurse practitioners have the education and experience to be impactful members of the healthcare team, but we also possess the nursing insight to continue to be patient advocates and change-makers,” she said. “I really believe that NPs are integral to healthcare delivery as it exists today. I think our experience and perspective is something that can't be replicated in a lot of ways.”
She added, “I’m a relatively novice nurse practitioner, yet I’ve already had so many awesome professional opportunities. I attribute a lot of that to being a part of the Pitt Nursing community. I’ve had many amazing mentors in my short career, which is another important piece of our professional obligation. Though I am still learning and growing, I hope to be a resource or mentor to any up-and-coming nurse practitioner looking for guidance.”