Full Circle Career Moments at Crouse

There are many sweet moments in life that you will always remember. For Becky Fratini, RN, she treasures her career exploration time at Crouse and pinpoints it as the reason she wanted to become a nurse.

Becky has worked in the Baker Regional NICU since 2013 providing dedicated care for sick and premature babies, or “Little Fighters” as they are affectionately called.

From a young age she knew she was interested in a career in healthcare. She was able to get her feet wet and experience the healthcare field through a high school career exploration program. At Crouse, Becky was mentored by Crouse’s Director of Women’s Health Integration and Community Engagement, Kathleen Miller-Murphy, RN where she had the opportunity to assist with our First Steps child birth classes. Experiencing these classes, working with Kathleen and learning about mother/baby care sparked her interest of working in the NICU.

“Kathleen was such a welcoming person. That experience planted the seed for me wanting to work at Crouse. This was the place I knew I wanted to be,” Becky says.

“Our programs at Crouse help people interested in healthcare careers gain experience and shape our future workforce; Becky’s story is a great example of that,” Kathleen shares. “I knew as a high school student she was destined for a career in healthcare and it is such an honor to be a small part of her journey.”

Becky obtained her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from St. John Fisher University and returned to the Syracuse area, volunteering in the NICU while waiting for an available RN position. She spent her volunteer time getting to know staff members and helping to care for a particular baby whose family couldn’t visit every day. After a short time as a volunteer, Becky then accepted a position as an RN in the NICU.

Her time at Crouse has come full circle as she also orients new nurses by welcoming them in and showing them the ropes in a positive environment just as she was shown by Kathleen.

Exuding her gratefulness, Becky says, “I can’t imagine doing anything else and being as fulfilled. Kathleen really opened the door for me at Crouse. I don’t know if I would be where I am today if it wasn’t for that experience with her.”

Learn more about a career in nursing at Crouse by visiting crouse.org/RN.  

Ashton Laird is the Communications Apprentice at Crouse Health.