Neonatal Nurse

            In the spring of 2014, I decided that I was going to shadow a neonatal nurse for my year long SEP Project. I called up Melanie Welch, a family friend and neonatal nurse that my sister had shadowed two years before me, and asked if she would be interested in letting me shadow her. She was thrilled and on July 27th I did my first 12 hour shift with her. Melanie is a Registered Nurse who works at St. Joe's Hospital. She graduated in 1992 with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) and has worked as a nurse ever since. In 2010 she received her Master's Degree in Nursing Education and now teaches Foundations in Nursing at the University of Arizona.

            Melanie made my shadowing experience one I will remember forever. Ever since the moment she let me hold that one newborn baby boy, I haven't been able to picture myself as anything but a nurse. During my short time in the hospital I endured a 13 hour shift , ran a few miles, sanitized my hands every five minutes, saw a circumcision, was present for a catheter and staple removal, remembered Melanie's clipboard, watched her chart, discharged patients, received new patients, took blood samples, educated the parents, and debriefed with the night nurses. The days were completely hectic and that's what I loved most about them! This experience really helped me to see that nursing is something that would work into the lifestyle I envision for myself.

            In addition to twenty hours of shadowing, I had to write a paper about a critical issue of my choice; one that sparked my interest from working in the neonatal unit was the genetic enhancement of children. From the experiences I gained in the hospital combined with research performed on my own, I took a strong stance against this issue. The way I see it, it is unethical for a parent to change a child into something they are not, and after dealing with some of the parents in the hospital, they are not fit to do so either. My paper discusses the issue on a global level and explores some of the future consequnces that follow this risky procedure. In order to protect the safety of future generations and preserve human nature, genetic enhancement is something that should not be tampered with.