Member Spotlight: Natalie Fitzgerald

Welcome to the Member Spotlight, where we shine a light on the incredibly skilled and dedicated individuals who make up our community. Whether burn care is your full-time career, or a passion pursued alongside other endeavors, our members have valuable insights to share, drawn from years of experience.

Enjoy getting to know your colleagues from across the field who share your commitment to advancing burn care! (And fill out this questionnaire  for the chance to share YOUR story and insights in Member Spotlight.)

Natalie Fitzgerald BSN, CBRN

Title: Clinical Educator
Organization: Richard M. Fairbanks Burn Center

How did you come into the burn field? How many years have you worked in burns?

I was a nursing student hoping to be a Midwife. However, the job market was tight, and organizations were not hiring students. I lucked into a student job at Riley Hospital on their burn unit and fell in love with the wound care, patients, and all that the burn world had to offer. I then sent my resume to every burn center in the nation looking for a job. My aunt happened to work at Wishard, now Eskenazi and she helped me get my foot in the door. Now I’ve worked in burn for 28 years.

What is your favorite part of your job?

In my current role I love to see new staff fall in love with their roles and learn new things.  I enjoy doing the just in time education at the bedside with staff it gives me the opportunity to interact with patients and families while still teaching. I still love a critically ill patient and electrical injuries fascinate me.

Tell us about a time that your involvement in the burn community had a significant impact on your career or life.

When I was a very new nurse, I had a patient who was 72 years old. His name was Frank, and he was injured while riding his 4-wheeler around spraying fertilizer on the youth soccer field that he opened. His burn was 40% mostly upper body. I’d arrive to work in the morning, and he’d be ready to get out of bed and start his day. I had been so afraid for him because I loved his personality. I’d tell his family before every surgery that he’d be coming back to us on a ventilator, and he was just going to struggle through this injury. He never came back vented; he flew through his injury and went home. But before he left, he told me how much he enjoyed me being his nurse and how proud he was of me. He encouraged me to stay in burn and to find a leadership role that would enhance my ability to meet the needs of patients and families.

Tell us something about you that we wouldn’t find on your LinkedIn profile.

In 2020 I had Covid and had a prolonged intubation. That experience not only taught me so much about what patient experiences are like especially related to delirium. I became a better nurse and person because of that event.