Clinical nurse specialist Laura Blazier has always wanted to care for sick babies.
By Maureen Gilmer, IU Health senior writer, mgilmer1@iuhealth.org
Laura Blazier was only in third grade when she began her education in the field of neonatology.
“I remember telling my mom I wanted to take care of sick babies and asking her who does that,” Blazier recalled.
That’s the first time she heard the word neonatologist, as her mom gathered research materials for her about neonatal medicine and premature babies.
Her course was set from that point on. The only thing she wasn’t certain of was whether she would follow a path to become a doctor or work in the nursing field.
She chose the latter and has worked in the NICU at Riley Hospital for Children for 15 years now, first as a bedside nurse and more recently as a clinical nurse specialist, a role that requires an advanced degree and allows her the opportunity to improve nursing practice and outcomes for the tiniest Riley patients in the NICUs in the Simon Family Tower and the Riley Maternity Tower.
As a bedside nurse in the NICU, Blazier loved the relationships she built with the babies and their families, but as she slowly got involved in quality improvement initiatives on the unit, she became more intrigued with the idea that she could collaborate with others to create better nursing practices and better patient outcomes.
She enrolled in IU Indianapolis to earn her master’s degree as a pediatric clinical nurse specialist. At the same time, she was fortunate to train at Riley as a clinical nurse specialist fellow in the NICU. Currently, she is one of “a small but mighty team of five” clinical nurse specialists in the hospital, with at least one more to be added soon.
Her day-to-day role involves consulting with care teams on different high-risk patients, as well as supporting nurses and making sure they have the proper resources. She also coaches and mentors and leads quality-improvement groups to implement evidence-based practices.
“The satisfaction I get now is more from seeing the work we do impact the way we care for patients,” said the veteran nurse.
Whether that’s in removing a barrier or offering a new intervention, it’s about troubleshooting and problem-solving, she added, translating what she and her peers know about medicine into the way they care for patients.
Last year, she and the team implemented a neuroprotective bundle for pre-term infants, the goal being to reduce instances of severe interventricular hemorrhage (brain bleed).
“We engaged an interdisciplinary team including several bedside nurses who were passionate about this project, leading through literature research, evaluating practices and creating an all-encompassing bundle for the way we care for these patients,” Blazier said.
The “bundle” includes delivery room care, respiratory strategies, positioning, environmental stimulation, and education and communication with families for how they can best support their baby.
“We’re already seeing a decrease in severe interventricular hemorrhage, and as we get a more complete data set, we will be able to demonstrate that,” she said.
Blazier understands how having a child in the NICU can be a traumatic experience, whether the infant is critically ill or parents are mourning the loss of the traditional newborn experience.
“It takes a lot of collaboration to care for the patient and parents, to engage with the families and to figure out the best approach to make it less stressful,” she said. “Babies have far better outcomes when we can engage families early on.”
What she loves about Riley is the commitment by everyone to provide the best care for children and now new moms, too.
“Our mission is clear,” she said. “Everybody shares the same pride in that.”
Amy Birchfield, nursing practice manager, met Blazier six years ago when Blazier was a bedside nurse in the Simon Family Tower NICU. That’s where Blazier learned about what Birchfield calls a “grow your own” clinical nurse program, where a nurse who has great experience and potential enrolls in a master’s program to obtain a CNS degree, while learning the role at Riley with the support of other clinical nurse specialists.
“Anyone who has met Laura knows she is a consummate professional and does all of her work to the highest of standards,” Birchfield said. “She is someone to be trusted and a voice for nursing practice and patient outcomes. When I think of a CNS superstar, I think of Laura and her work.”
Kristin Miller, director of nursing practice, echoes Birchfield’s praise and shares her own.
“What I would really like to highlight is how Laura has gone above and beyond these last few years to advocate for the role of the clinical nurse specialist,” Miller said.
“She is involved in the Indiana Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists and is part of the planning committee for their yearly conference. She is always looking for opportunities for her and her peers to professionally develop and collaborate with other clinical nurse specialists both within IU Health and outside of IU Health.”
Blazier, who married her high school sweetheart, spends her time outside the hospital with her husband and two children exploring the outdoors – hiking, camping, swimming – and following the kids around to gymnastics meets and baseball games.
“Laura is kind and funny,” Birchfield said in closing. “Her favorite color is orange, and she loves donuts. She cherishes her time with her children while they are still young and silly. I am grateful every day she is on my team.”