Kristin Hansen, BSN

My name is Kristin and I have been a nurse for 12 years. I graduated in December 2011 with my BSN and started my career in the NICU. I was very unsure of what I was meant to do in nursing and questioned if I had even made the best career choice when I first graduated. I worked in a Pediatric Urgent Care setting for one year after completing a year in the NICU and quickly realized how much I missed the NICU and what a huge mistake it was to leave. In 2014, my husband, who is a nurse as well, and I decided to do travel nursing in California to be closer to my sister and extended family. We both did travel nursing for a little over a year and settled into permanent jobs in central California. I was in the NICU and he was in the Pediatric unit. We ended up moving to Nebraska in 2018 to raise a family and to be closer to my mother-in-law. That move was very difficult for me personally and professionally. I missed the unit I was a part of in California and I had a hard time adjusting to how differently things were done in my new unit. After having my son, I realized I needed a change professionally and was finding myself unhappy in my job. I had always been fascinated with starting IV's and eventually wanted to learn how to place PICC lines as well. I made a huge change and transitioned to being an IV team/PICC nurse in 2020 in the adult world and it was the best decision I could have made. Although it was stressful during the peak of the pandemic, I quickly became a part of this new work family and learned so much from my mentors. I truly have a passion for making the IV experience as painless as possible and find joy in decreasing patients' anxiety that comes with vascular access. I am so blessed with my job and the team I work with every day. I am so glad I can discuss my passions and please don't hesitate to reach out with any questions about vascular access.