Amanda Symington NICU Graduate Award

Hello! My name is NaDeana Norris. My path to nursing began after a visit to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at IWK Health. Though at the time I was working in the biotechnology industry, I was profoundly moved by the registered nurse’s skill, compassion, and dedication—and inspired to pursue a career in nursing with the goal of returning to the NICU. In 2007, I graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Memorial University of Newfoundland and began my career in the NICU. After 11 years as a staff nurse, I completed a Master of Nursing: Neonatal Nurse Practitioner specialty. I continue to serve in this role, providing advanced critical care to the sickest neonates from across the Maritimes. Currently, I am a doctoral candidate in the School of Nursing at Dalhousie University and Neonatal Nurse Practitioner at the IWK Health Centre. My research focus is on examining pain management in newborns diagnosed with hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy – a brain injury acquired during birth. In my spare time, I travel the Maritimes with my three sons for hockey events.