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What Drew Me to REI Nursing? What Keeps Me Here?

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by Kathy Bugge, RNC
Shady Grove Fertility RSC
Rockville, MD

The initial draw to REI nursing for me was a personal one. When I experienced delays in conceiving, I did my own research to try and discover the reasons why this could be occurring. But it was a different time, many years ago. In the early 1990’s, there were no blogs, national registries, or clinic websites to visit. I am lucky to live in the Washington DC metro area, where the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is located. At NIH, a premier federal biomedical research site, the local medical library had very limited resources on ‘infertility.’ One afternoon after searching for resources in vain, I experienced the discouragement many infertility patients feel. (It was only later that I realized that the information was not in textbooks where I was looking, but in journals, as it was so new and cutting-edge!)

The stars were in alignment when I applied for a new position as an Infertility Nurse at the Shady Grove Fertility Center. At the time, Shady Grove was a small, new center. It was simply amazing to be taught and supported by physicians and nursing colleagues who were passionate about the field and about the hope and options that fertility treatment could offer patients!

REI nursing is a study in contrasts. Patients are hopeful, yet also prepared for sadness and failure. Treatments are often successful and available to assist most, but are not guaranteed. REI nursing calls for practitioners to be individually patient-focused, but also function as a team-player with your colleagues and practice. It is the best nursing field around for those who value flexibility, organization, empathy, clinical knowledge, teaching, and truly making a difference in each person’s life.

Another wonderful facet of REI nursing is its diversity of roles. I have been so lucky and honored to work with the best team of clinicians and nurses one could ever imagine. One learns early in this field that there is much information and knowledge to be gained from others. I am so grateful to have been able to experience a few different nursing roles in my time here. Over the years, I have been privileged to function as a primary nurse, an IVF coordinator, a monitoring nurse, a clinical educator, and most recently as service quality supervisor.

Some wonderful experiences have awaited me as an infertility nurse, such as serving on advisory boards and occasionally speaking at national REI nursing educational forums. I have also had the privilege of being a member of a local REI group, WMINA (Washington Metropolitan Infertility Nursing Association, which, sadly, has since disbanded).

And as my initial draw to this wonderful field of REI nursing was personal, it remains a personal draw now as well. Where else can you find the unique blend of hopeful knowledge, ever-advancing treatment, and the ability to positively impact so many lives?