Spending a day in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) as a nursing student drew Megan M. Shea, NNP, to pursue a career as a neonatal nurse practitioner.

"While doing clinicals for pediatrics during nursing school, I was immediately drawn to the patient population and the culture of the NICU," says Megan. "It is an environment that combines complex disease processes with caring for the tiniest of patients. I knew then and there that I wanted to be a NICU nurse."

Megan, who started her career as a bedside NICU nurse, enjoys her role as an NNP, helping patients' families navigate the difficult road of the NICU. She enjoys taking care of the extremely premature and low birth weight infants and has a special interest in conditions that commonly affect this patient population, including respiratory distress syndrome, necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) and chronic lung disease. She also is interested in sepsis and nutrition.

"Being a nurse practitioner allows me to combine the compassionate side of nursing with the challenge of developing a plan of care to help sick babies reach the ultimate goal, which is discharge home to their families," she says. "Collaboration and communication are the standards in my care philosophy. It is important for the neonatology team to discuss patient cases with each other and with subspecialists to identify the appropriate plan of care for their patients. All team members - as well as the family - provide valuable feedback and ideas that will benefit the patient."

A California native, Megan enjoys spending time with her husband and three growing boys. They are avid sports fans, watching games and cheering for the Giants, Forty-Niners and the Warriors. She also likes to cook and hike when it's not 100 degrees outside.