Zoey Hallam, RN

By Zoey Hallam, RN
Billings Clinic
Billings, Montana

After nine years of working as a labor and delivery nurse and being a part of the most special day of many couple’s lives, I was ready to make a change.  So when the Billings Clinic added Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility to its service line, I was excited to move to the opposite end of the spectrum, where it all begins and help people achieve their dream of starting a family.

In July 2009 Billings Clinic proudly welcomed a new specialty to our Woman’s and Children’s service line.  Dr. Christopher Montville became the first Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility specialist in Montana and Wyoming.  I was lucky enough to be hired as his nurse. 

The first two years have passed in the blink of an eye, and I am beginning to learn a whole new world of nursing with in vitro fertilization (IVF).  Dr. Montville has been an excellent teacher and very patient with me as I delve into this new role as an IVF nurse. 

Billings Clinic opened Montana’s first and only IVF lab in early 2011.  We are having great success, and it feels so good to offer IVF to local patients.  We serve a large region, and our patients are coming from Wyoming, North Dakota and all over Montana.  With the large region we serve comes a lot of coordination of care.  We work with their local physicians so they can get most of their care in their home town. 

The biggest part of my job is helping patients navigate through this journey.  I help patients plan their cycle, from timing of ultrasounds and labs to ordering of expensive fertility medications and injection instructions.  Infertility is very expensive, stressful and full of ups and downs.  I see myself as one of the people these couples can turn to as a constant for help through this often difficult time.

Working with these couples has proven to be very rewarding.  You get to know these couples very quickly, often talking on the phone several times a week.  After working so closely with these couples there is nothing better than getting a positive pregnancy test and a healthy baby at the end.  Not all stories are successes however, and providing additional support to these people is probably the most important aspect of the job.  I am so happy with the care I am providing and am so thrilled I found my way to this position.