Catherine Ertzner

Catherine Ertzner is a pediatric emergency room nurse with 26 years of experience in the field. She has worked in pediatric emergency care for the past two years on a part-time basis while recently starting a part-time position with the VA focused on nursing education. Ertzner earned a bachelor's degree in community health education before pursuing nursing through an accelerated program at Creighton University, which led to her becoming a registered nurse. After initially resisting her mother's advice to enter nursing, she became interested in emergency medicine, worked as an EMT, and began her career in the emergency room at Methodist Health System in Omaha following an unexpected recruitment opportunity. She previously held a role at OrthoNebraska in employee health where she incorporated education components. Last year, Ertzner achieved certification as a Certified Emergency Nurse, overcoming her initial hesitation about the exam, and she is now considering additional certification in pediatric emergency nursing. Throughout her career, she has drawn on her background in education to support new employees and students, emphasizing the importance of continuous learning in a changing medical field.