Master of Science in Nursing graduate Cristin Bailey has known since nursing school that she wanted to work with kids. Now in her 26th year as a Pediatric Nurse, Cristin is the Nurse Manager of the Pediatric Emergency/Inpatient Unit at Greater Baltimore Medical Center (GBMC). Her responsibilities include strategic planning, quality and patient safety initiatives, managing nursing practice, financial planning, and hiring and facilitating training of staff for her unit.
When she took on this role three years ago, Cristin enrolled in Stevenson University Online’s MSN program to fulfill the preferred education requirements for the Nurse Manager position. In the MSN program, Cristin was introduced to new areas of leadership that, in conjunction with her clinical foundation, have helped her grow professionally. She explains, “The Master’s program exposed me to aspects of leadership that I had not experienced yet in my role as a manager, which helped me to not feel quite so lost coming from a clinical background.” Cristin adds that the program reinforced the importance of time management and provided her with more confidence when reviewing research articles. Cristin credits her Student Success Coach for encouraging her to meet her educational goals. She notes, “My Student Success Coach was a wonderful resource! She enrolled me in classes each session and helped me stay on target in identifying which courses were available each session.”
To be a successful Nurse Manager, Cristin says that you need compassion, empathy, a sense of humor, and the ability to be approachable and honest. She believes that her previous experiences as a staff nurse have allowed her to better advocate for her team. Cristin supervises a staff of nurses, techs, Child Life Specialists, and Child Protection Program Social Workers. Her favorite part of her job is when she completes rounds and the patients and families compliment her staff. She comments, “I love rounding with patients and families and hearing how wonderful my staff is. I also love it when my staff is happy, and appreciate what a special team we have.” In addition to her Nurse Manager role, Cristin is also a Certified Pediatric Emergency Nurse and a Red Cross Disaster Nurse Volunteer.
Please contact us today at 1-877-531-7118 or suo-inquiry@stevenson.edu to learn more about Stevenson’s Master of Science in Nursing program.