Today we’d like to introduce you to Nicki Johnson.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I started my nursing career at Children’s of Alabama as a care partner while going back to college for nursing (my first degree was in Political Science as I had aspirations of being an advocate/lobbyist though was persuaded into nursing as my mother is a nurse and through a personal experience in the hospital with my grandmother) and worked there as a nurse and as I went through my MSN program to become a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner. I then worked at Children’s Health Dallas in Pulmonary Medicine where my passion for medically complex children grew, specifically those with tracheostomies and complex airway/respiratory conditions. To be closer to family, we decided to pursue Nashville and once I found out Vanderbilt Children’s did not have a formal Trach/vent program, I was intrigued to help develop one and was lucky enough to be hired by the Otolaryngolgy team there where I worked for over 8 years. During that time, I started the non-profit organization, Childhood Tracheostomy Alliance, with my co-worker and friend, Erika Strong, and pulmonary physician partner and friend, Jake Kaslow, along with some parents of medically complex children with Trachs who I had cared for in the hospital.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
My road has definitely not been smooth! I went into nursing as a second or maybe third career, and then into non-profit work thereafter. I got my MSN while working full-time and having an infant to toddler during the program and have worked full-time until recently while building CTA into the organization it is today. I have found that despite the hard work and patient advocacy, dedication to healthcare and nursing in general, it was not enough for some, rather it was too much it seems and I was pushed out of academic healthcare interestingly. The road continues to be winding, but I was warned as such when delving into the non-profit space. These kids and their families deserve better than what academic medicine and American healthcare are giving them, so I am trying to figure out a better way or at least ways to make improvements alongside the failing system.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I have been a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner for 10 years in the Pulmonary/ENT/Tracheostomy subspecialities and am the Founder and Executive Director of the Childhood Tracheostomy Alliance a 501c3 non-profit organization supporting children with medical complexity and their families through a variety of free programs and services including a supply closet which also helps to reduce medical waste and protect our environment. I am a passionate pediatric healthcare leader and educator as well as an advocate for all children.
What are your plans for the future?
I have recently moved from academic medicine into fully engaging my non-profit work and hope to expand the organization as broadly as I can. I am interested in educating the public and raising awareness about these children and their families unique needs and challenges as well as the enormous amount of medical waste there is in our country and how we can find solutions to these problems through more supply closet programs.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.childhoodtrach.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nickimariejcomplexpnp
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nickijohnson
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicki-johnson
