Ashley is always putting the safety of her patients first. She is a strong patient advocate. She is a unit leader, and always is stepping up and assisting her co-workers to make sure all our patients are getting the best care possible. Ashley goes above and beyond for both her patients and their families.

A recent example, which is a pretty uncommon occurrence in the NICU, was when Ashley was taking care of an infant on palliative/end-of-life care. She took the time to talk with providers and read articles to get a better understanding of why this baby, who seemed to be okay at the time of delivery, was being treated with comfort care and the effects that has on the infant. Once she gathered all this information, she was able to provide the best possible comfort care for this patient. She took the time to make sure the infant was comfortable and being held and consoled, even when the parents were unable to be there. She took this patient on as a primary RN to ensure she got the best care that she deserved before she passed. Palliative care, especially in the NICU, is very emotionally draining and morally conflicting. However, Ashley endured this to provide the care this infant and family needed.

Moral and ethical issues come up in the NICU, especially when it comes to viability and withdrawing care in severe situations. Ashley is not afraid to ask the question “why?” to understand the medical direction she is being given for her patients; she is driven by evidence-based practice. She treats every patient and family with individual care. Ashley is a NICU-certified RN. She is the lead for our CUSP team and is a lead support for education, practice change, and orienting staff. She is one of our NICU transport team members, she is very skilled and knowledgeable. She takes the time to educate community hospital staff when she is out on transport if it is needed. She picks up extra time to ensure that transport will be available to our community hospitals. The safety and well-being of the infant are her first priority.