“I tell parents when I first meet them that they’re going to become experts in the heart,” smiles Kristen Ethridge, a pediatric nurse practitioner with the pediatric cardiac surgery program. Kristen (pictured second from left) poses with other cardiac nurses from the UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital. “Cardiac nursing has been a passion of mine since my first year of nursing. I’ve been taking care of kids for more than 30 years, and it’s still super exciting to me. There are so many changes in this field. We have a new cardiac surgeon who’s been with UCLA Health for about a year and four months. We’re changing our patient population, educating our staff, and offering support for more challenging patients and their families. I’m thrilled to be here.”
