NEW HAMPSHIRE
Allison Winchester ’11
Neonatal nurse practitioner, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center

Allison Winchester (M.S.N. ’11) knew at a young age she wanted to enter the medical field. Unfortunately, it was a sad experience that helped her realize she wanted to work with children.

“I babysat a little boy with special needs who later passed away. I knew I wanted to do pediatrics from that point on.”

Winchester’s sister was a neonatal nurse and suggested she give it a try. She has now been in the neonatal field for 16 years.

Winchester says she wouldn’t have been able to become a nurse practitioner had it not been for the UMKC School of Nursing and Health Studies’ distance education program. She was able to continue working as a nurse in New Hampshire while she earned her master’s as a neonatal nurse practitioner.

“I loved the program. Now I have a wonderful job,” Winchester says. “I am the director of our neonatal transport team and also spend time teaching the pediatric residents.”

As a nurse practitioner in Lebanon, N.H., Winchester often deals with parents facing uncertainty and sometimes grief. She says she tries to bring comfort to the families at the hospital.

“How you interact and communicate with families can make a difficult day a little easier.”

The most important lesson she’s learned in her career, Winchester says, is teamwork.

“(I’ve learned) the importance of communicating and working as a multi-disciplinary team,” she says. “Everyone plays an imperative role in caring for our patients.”